While down year over year, Alexandria’s median apartment rental rate is still more than 16% above the onset of the pandemic and 28% more than during the worst of Covid-19.
The city’s median rent of $2,234 — $2,046 for one-bedroom units, $2,513 for two bedrooms — was down 3.1% in June from a year before, according to figures released June 30 by Apartment List.
On Saturday (June 13), Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the Housing 2040 Plan, which will set the city’s housing goals over the next 15 years.
The Housing 2040 Plan will guide city policies on expanding housing supply and affordable homeownership, preserving existing affordable housing, seeking landlord-tenant protections, strengthening condominium communities, expanding resources for seniors and people with disabilities, and supporting safe and healthy housing. It will also guide the city’s legislative policies on housing, land use planning, small area plans, housing programs and development of new financial and regulatory tools.
Alexandria’s median apartment rental cost is up 3.7% since the start of the year and stands about 3.6% higher than the metro area’s median costs, according to new data.
The city’s median apartment rental cost of $2,239 in May — $2,050 for one-bedroom units and $2,518 for two bedrooms — was up 0.6% from April, another sign that the market ramped up as winter gave way to spring.
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.
