The short version is this. A two bedroom in Arlington rents for a median of $2,900 and the typical rental leases in about 20 days, based on 245 rentals that closed in the six months ending 30 September 2026. Plan on about $6,100 in cash to move into a two bedroom. And Arlington is the fastest market I cover right now. 69 percent of rentals in the last six months went at or above the original asking price.
Arlington isn't one rental market either. By zip code, the median rental runs from $2,800 in 02476 to $3,000 in 02474, and the zip code table below breaks it out by bedroom count. I pulled every closed rental in the MLS for the last two years and ran the numbers myself, and it gets updated every month. The other towns I cover are at the markets page, and the sales side of this town is in my Arlington home sales report.
These are rented prices, not asking prices. What tenants signed for, not what landlords hoped for. Three windows because the short one is current and the long one is stable. Anything with fewer than ten rentals behind it I leave out rather than pretend it means something.
| Bedrooms | Last 3 months | Last 6 months | Last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | too few | too few | $1,812 (12) |
| 1 bedroom | $2,250 (24) | $2,250 (47) | $2,125 (72) |
| 2 bedroom | $2,900 (44) | $2,900 (94) | $2,825 (150) |
| 3 bedroom | $4,000 (31) | $4,000 (60) | $3,900 (79) |
| 4 bedroom | $5,300 (19) | $5,100 (31) | $5,000 (35) |
| 5+ bedroom | too few | too few | $6,900 (11) |
| All rentals | $3,200 (126) | $3,100 (245) | $2,900 (359) |
Medians. Number of closed rentals in parentheses. Windows end 30 September 2026. The biggest single step in Arlington is from a 4 bedroom to a 5+ bedroom, $1,900 a month over the last twelve months.
| Zip | Area | Rentals | Median, all sizes | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | Days to rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02476 | Arlington Heights | 145 | $2,800 | $2,100 (35) | $2,800 (57) | $4,000 (25) | 28 |
| 02474 | East Arlington and Arlington Center | 208 | $3,000 | $2,200 (35) | $2,850 (92) | $3,800 (51) | 22 |
Last twelve months, every closed Arlington rental, sorted by median. The all sizes median runs from $2,800 in 02476 to $3,000 in 02474, but part of that is the mix of housing in each zip, so compare the same bedroom count across a row where the sample allows.
| Type | 2br median | 2br days | 3br median | 3br days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | $2,800 (90) | 22 | $3,475 (28) | 21 |
| Condo | $2,950 (34) | 28 | $3,825 (10) | 19 |
| Townhouse or duplex | $2,900 (21) | 28 | $4,700 (22) | 20 |
| Single family | too few | $4,500 (19) | 26 |
Last twelve months. Same bedroom count, different building: this is what the product itself is worth.
Priced right: 16 days. Overpriced: 48 days, and a $200 cut anyway.
359 closed Arlington rentals in the last twelve months
Over the last twelve months the median Arlington rental took 25 days. 12 percent rented within a week, and 30 percent are gone inside two weeks. 56 percent of rentals went at exactly the original asking price and another 8 percent above it, so 37 percent of Arlington landlords had to cut.
When they did cut, the pattern is the same one I find everywhere: 16 days at full price against 48 days with a cut, and the cut ran a median of $200 a month. Overpricing costs a month of vacancy and then the lower rent anyway.
| Time on market | Share |
|---|---|
| Under a week | 12% |
| 8 to 14 days | 18% |
| 15 to 30 days | 29% |
| 31 to 60 days | 24% |
| 61 to 90 days | 10% |
| More than 90 days | 7% |
359 rentals, last twelve months.
About $6,100 for a typical two bedroom.
That is 2.2 times one month of rent. 150 two bedroom rentals, last twelve months.
For a two bedroom in Arlington:
So a $2,825 two bedroom realistically needs about $6,100 in the bank to sign. If that shapes your search, better to know before you fall in love with something. Reach out and I'll send you what I currently have available.
My favorite part of the report, because these numbers exist nowhere else. Every feature is compared within the same bedroom count, so a two bedroom is only measured against another two bedroom, and any comparison with fewer than ten rentals on either side gets thrown out.
| Feature | Share of rentals | Rent difference | Speed difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built 2010 or later | 16% | +$1,100 | 5 days faster |
| A half bath | 18% | +$1,100 | no clear effect |
| Second full bathroom | 27% | +$850 | 4 days faster |
| Private outdoor space | 32% | +$675 | 8 days faster |
| Fireplace | 22% | +$575 | 8 days faster |
| Garage parking | 33% | +$550 | 10 days faster |
| Laundry in the unit | 42% | +$400 | no clear effect |
| Air conditioning | 68% | +$300 | 4 days faster |
| Second parking space | 58% | +$200 | 7 days faster |
| Pets allowed | 64% | +$125 | 8 days faster |
| Walking distance to a T stop | 35% | about $25 | 5 days faster |
| Built before 1940 | 36% | about $75 | 9 days faster |
| Heat included in rent | 27% | $275 less | 7 days slower |
Median differences within bedroom count, last twelve months. The rows near the bottom stay in on purpose. A report that finds a premium on every feature is a report you shouldn't trust.
Read this table for what it really says. The biggest gaps in Arlington (built 2010 or later, a half bath, second full bathroom) mostly describe which kind of property you're in, not an amenity you can add on a weekend. They are the signature of the newer or larger unit.
And the things that barely move the rent here: walking distance to a t stop, built before 1940. Where most listings already have something, it stops being worth extra.
Those numbers describe what a unit was listed with, not what I verified in person. Agents who fill out listings carefully also tend to be marketing better units, so part of what any feature appears to be worth is really the value of a better building and a better listing. The year built, bathroom, garage and fireplace rows rest on hard structural fields and are the most reliable. The amenity checkboxes are directional.
The fast months are April, May and June, when the median rental goes in 12 to 18 days. July and June close the most deals. The slow months are January and November, at 40 to 40 days. If your lease ends in late fall or winter, fix the cycle. A vacant month on a $2,900 Arlington rental is a $2,900 mistake.
| Month | Rentals closed | Median days to rent |
|---|---|---|
| January | 36 | 40 |
| February | 40 | 19 |
| March | 46 | 22 |
| April | 79 | 18 |
| May | 71 | 12 |
| June | 88 | 18 |
| July | 92 | 20 |
| August | 72 | 23 |
| September | 65 | 26 |
| October | 46 | 31 |
| November | 44 | 40 |
| December | 44 | 31 |
Two full years of closings pooled by the month the lease was signed, October 2024 through September 2026.
| Bedrooms | Median size | Rent per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 385 sqft | $4.42 |
| 1 bedroom | 650 sqft | $3.31 |
| 2 bedroom | 1,094 sqft | $2.75 |
| 3 bedroom | 1,587 sqft | $2.50 |
| 4 bedroom | 2,206 sqft | $2.25 |
| 5+ bedroom | 3,500 sqft | $2.29 |
Last twelve months. A studio in Arlington costs $4.42 a square foot against $2.29 for a 5+ bedroom. Square footage comes from the listing agent and is approximate, so trust the pattern more than the exact cents.
Up, about 3 percent, measured the most honest way there is.
The same units against themselves: across 40 cases where one Arlington unit rented twice at least six months apart, the median change was up 3.2%. 28 went up, 10 held, 2 went down.
Full years side by side, October 2024 through September 2025 against October 2025 through September 2026, the all bedroom median went from $2,950 to $2,900, down 1.7%. Headline medians move with the mix of what happened to rent, which is why the same unit comparison is the one I trust.
| Bedrooms | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,675 (15) | $1,812 (12) | up 8.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,100 (90) | $2,125 (72) | up 1.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,925 (148) | $2,825 (150) | down 3.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,850 (73) | $3,900 (79) | up 1.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $4,850 (31) | $5,000 (35) | up 3.1% |
| All rentals | $2,950 (364) | $2,900 (359) | down 1.7% |
| Same unit, rented twice | 40 matched pairs | up 3.2% | |
Full twelve month windows on both sides, so seasonality can't fake the comparison.
| Included | Share of rentals |
|---|---|
| Water | 81% |
| Sewer | 72% |
| Parking | 52% |
| Trash | 48% |
| Grounds maintenance | 47% |
| Snow removal | 36% |
| Laundry facilities | 29% |
| Hot water | 28% |
| Heat | 27% |
| Electricity | 4% |
| Gas | 4% |
Last twelve months, as listed. Only 27 percent of Arlington rentals include heat, so budget for winter utilities on everything else.
Own a rental in Arlington? These are the numbers I price units with every week. If you want to know what yours should rent for, send me the address and what it last rented at, and I'll tell you what I'd list it for and how long I think it takes. No charge and no pressure, it's a five minute exercise for me.
Renting instead? Get in touch and I'll send you what I have available, and here's my general guide to Arlington if you're new to the area.
Source. Every figure on this page is calculated from closed rental transactions recorded in MLS Property Information Network. Arlington closed 723 rentals settled 1 October 2024 through 30 September 2026, every one of them in this analysis, deduplicated by listing number. These are rents tenants actually signed, not asking prices.
Windows. The headline numbers use the last three, six and twelve months ending 30 September 2026. The trend compares two complete twelve month windows, and the seasonal table pools both years.
Method. Medians, not averages, because the top of the market would drag an average around badly. Time on market is the MLS days on market field. Cash to move in is first month, plus last month where required, plus the security deposit. Any figure resting on fewer than ten rentals gets left out entirely.
What's approximate. Square footage, amenities and included utilities are entered by listing agents and aren't independently verified. Neighborhoods are as coded in the MLS.
Corrections. If you find an error, tell me. I'll fix it and note it in the log below. That's the deal.
Based on information provided to and compiled by MLS Property Information Network, Inc. covering the period 1 October 2024 through 30 September 2026.