Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Monroe County, FL

Discover affordable housing in Monroe County where there are 25+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Monroe County, Florida
$40.51/hour
$28.51 (+238%) more than Florida minimum wage and $33.26 (+459%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Monroe County, Florida Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Monroe County, Florida?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Monroe County, Florida.

Go to the Florida Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Monroe County.

How many renters live in Monroe County, Florida?

The County of Monroe County has 81,708 people living in 34,320 households.

There are 30,843 renters living in 12,521 renter households in this County. Renters make up 37.75 percent of the population living in Monroe County.

What is the rental market like in Monroe County, Florida?

There are an estimated 54,034 housing units in the Monroe County area. Of these, 16,495 units are rental homes, making up 31 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Monroe County, Florida, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Monroe County?

The rental vacancy rate in Monroe County is 20 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.

How many rental units are in Monroe County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Monroe County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
886 2,956 5,766 2,910 430
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Monroe County

A large number of apartments in Monroe County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How many renter households in Monroe County are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 55 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 32 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.

The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

How Much Is Rent in Monroe County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,556 to $3,426. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,556
One BR $1,730
Two BR $2,139
Three BR $2,812
Four BR $3,426
2024 Fair Market Rents in Monroe County, Florida

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Monroe County?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 499 56 percent
One BR 1,039 35 percent
Two BR 1,658 29 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Monroe County, Florida

How many affordable rental units are in Monroe County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Monroe County, Florida including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 922
Public Housing 638
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 251
Section 236 Rental Assistance 9
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 19
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Monroe County, Florida

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Monroe County, Florida

Monroe County features 914 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Monroe County, Florida

There are 741 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Monroe County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Monroe County, Florida

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Monroe County landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Monroe County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Monroe County, Florida for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,925 and $2,353.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.