Alexandria’s median apartment rental rate in March was up 2.5% during the first quarter of 2026 but remains 2.7% below where it stood a year ago.
The median citywide rental rate was $2,032 for one-bedroom units, $2,497 for two bedrooms and $2,219 overall, according to figures reported March 30 by Apartment List.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins launched the “Fresh Start Initiative” today (Thursday), rallying the city’s faith and nonprofit leaders to pay approximately $1 million in back rent for nearly 450 residents living in the city’s public housing properties.
The initiative brings together the city, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Department of Community and Human Services and nonprofit fundraiser ACT for Alexandria to create a temporary charitable fund to “connect residents to financial empowerment resources, and to ensure improved systems at ARHA,” according to the city. Alfred Street Baptist Church has pledged to raise more than $1 million to cover the back rent. The initiative is solely funded through private donations.
A springtime uptick is expected, but for now, Alexandria apartment rental costs are running below last year’s rates.
The median apartment rental cost of $2,187 in the city was down 2.8% year-over-year in February, according to data reported by Apartment List. Median city rental rates were $2,003 for one-bedroom units and $2,460 for two bedrooms.
Several priorities in Alexandria City Council’s latest state legislative package are making progress in the General Assembly.
The City of Alexandria is supporting proposals that aim to make it easier for localities to expand housing and increase its affordability. The latest General Assembly Legislative Package outlines state bills it would support, citing increasing housing costs for city residents and essential workers being priced out of the city.
Despite a year-over-year decline, apartment rents in Alexandria remain above the regional average, according to new data.
The overall median rental rate of $2,166 in the city was down 2.7% year-over-year in January, according to figures reported Jan. 28 by Apartment List. But it remained 2.3% above the median metro-area rate of $2,116 for the month.
Alexandria closed out 2025 with median apartment rental rates down 2.5% from the start of the year — the first annual decline in five years.
The 2.5% dip is more than twice the rate of decline across the metro area, with Alexandria pushed down in part by a 1.1% drop in median rents from November to December.
Alexandria’s apartment rental costs have cooled over the past year, but remain well above pandemic-era lows.
The city’s median apartment-rental rate in November was $1,996 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,452 for two bedrooms and $2,179 for all units, according to the monthly data analysis by Apartment List.
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria.
Here’s a look back on this week’s top stories. Our most-read post was on the shooting of three men in Arlandria on Sunday night (April 27). Police found the victims with gunshot wounds shortly after being called at around 9 p.m. They were transported to area hospitals, and no arrests have been announced. Witnesses heard a barrage of gunfire, and the Alexandria Police Department is asking for help in the investigation.
It’s only getting more and more expensive to rent in Alexandria.
In a webinar this afternoon, Alexandria’s Office of Housing spelled out the current state of evictions. Given that the vast majority of those evictions are caused by non-payment of rent, Mary Horner, division chief of the Landlord Tenant Division, noted that rental costs are continuing to rise.
A new report from housing nonprofit HAND last week found that roughly 57% of households in Alexandria were renters, which has us wondering: do more ALXnow readers rent or own homes in Alexandria?
That’s higher than the nationwide average, where only 36% — though that’s to be expected for a more urban area.
Alexandria is gaining new residents at almost twice the rate it’s gaining new housing units.
A new report from housing nonprofit HAND — linked to in the latest Mayor Justin Wilson newsletter — outlined housing trends in the City of Alexandria and offered a breakdown of what kind of housing is being built.
