How much is house rent in Dallas–Fort Worth?
The NTREIS MLS summary for September 2026, produced by the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, counted 3,067 closed single-family leases in the DFW metro, down 5% from September 2025. The median lease was $2,300, unchanged, and the average was $2,573, up 1%. Leased homes spent 42 days on market, down 7%.
Supply got tighter. The report showed 7,503 active single-family lease listings, down 11% from a year earlier, or 2.2 months of rental inventory. On the sale side, single-family homes had 4.3 months of inventory and a $385,000 median sale price.
DFW rent prices by county, September 2026
Of the eight counties below, Ellis was the tightest rental market, at 1.7 months of inventory and 31 days on market. Kaufman was the loosest, at 3.1 months and 49 days. Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall, Johnson and Parker each closed fewer than 100 single-family leases in September 2026, so one month can swing hard. Check comps before you lean on Ellis's 14% jump.
Median single-family lease (change from September 2025) and months of lease inventory:
- Dallas County: $2,350 (0%), 2.4 months
- Collin County: $2,450 (+2%), 2.3 months
- Denton County: $2,495 (+1%), 2.2 months
- Ellis County: $2,425 (+14%), 1.7 months
- Kaufman County: $2,195 (+5%), 3.1 months
- Rockwall County: $2,245 (-2%), 2.1 months
- Johnson County: $2,165 (+3%), 2.3 months
- Parker County: $2,300 (-4%), 1.9 months
- Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine division: $2,195 (0%), 2.1 months
- Dallas-Plano-Irving division: $2,400 (0%), 2.3 months
Are Dallas rents falling?
It depends on the measure. Closed MLS leases in Dallas County were flat year over year in September 2026. Asking rents in the city of Dallas fell in the first half of 2026: Rentometer's mid-year 2026 report, which tracks median advertised rents for 3-bedroom single-family homes from Jan. 1 to June 30, put Dallas down 2.2% from the same period of 2025. Its national median was $2,100, down 1.6%.
CandysDirt.com, reporting Rentometer's figures, listed first-half 2026 medians of $2,200 in Dallas, $2,498 in Plano, $2,150 in Arlington and $2,072 in Fort Worth. These are city asking rents, not closed MLS leases.
What is the rent-to-price ratio in DFW counties?
This rough gross ratio is 12 times the median lease divided by the median sale price, both from September 2026 MLS data. The homes that lease are not the same homes that sell, and the ratio ignores taxes, insurance, vacancy and repairs.
ATTOM's 2026 single-family rental report, published March 5, 2026, put Tarrant County's potential gross rental yield at 7.3%, down from 7.8% in 2025. ATTOM uses 3-bedroom rent data and public-record sale prices.
| County or division | Median lease | Median sale price | Gross ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufman County | $2,195 | $305,000 | 8.6% |
| Johnson County | $2,165 | $319,900 | 8.1% |
| Dallas County | $2,350 | $360,000 | 7.8% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine division | $2,195 | $353,495 | 7.5% |
| DFW metro | $2,300 | $385,000 | 7.2% |
| Denton County | $2,495 | $420,990 | 7.1% |
| Ellis County | $2,425 | $422,450 | 6.9% |
| Collin County | $2,450 | $447,000 | 6.6% |
| Parker County | $2,300 | $461,390 | 6.0% |
| Rockwall County | $2,245 | $485,000 | 5.6% |
Source: Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, North Texas Real Estate Information System MLS Summary Report, September 2026 (Oct. 7, 2026); the ratio is 12 times the median lease divided by the median sale price. Period: September 2026 MLS data.
What this means for your next deal
Estimate rent from closed leases near the property, not from asking rents or metro medians. Kaufman and Johnson show the highest gross ratios, but Kaufman also had the most months of lease inventory of the eight counties, so vacancy assumptions matter more there. Parker (6.0%) and Rockwall (5.6%) had the lowest ratios, so a rental there needs a price well below the county median to match Dallas County's 7.8%.
FundPlug is a wholesale dispo desk that markets contracts to cash buyers and landlords. If you control a DFW contract, the desk screens it against its buy box before marketing it. This is general information, not investment advice.