This is the first time since 2020 that rates have lowered year over year in Arlington, Alexandria, and DC.
By
Maggie Roth
January 5, 2026 at 11:44 am
Rent costs in several Northern Virginia areas saw year-over-year declines over 2025, according to data from Apartment List. For localities like Arlington, DC, and Alexandria, this is the first time in five years that rents have shown a year-over-year decline.
In the DC metro region overall, the median rent at the end of 2025 was $2,122, a 1.2 percent decline over the past year. Nationwide rent prices also trended downward over the year, with a 1.3 percent decrease. Across all of Virginia, rent prices went up slightly, with a 0.8 percent increase year over year.
Washington, DC, saw the biggest drop in the region last year, with a 3.7 percent decline. The monthly median rent at the end of December 2025 was $2,069 for a one-bedroom and $2,124 for a two-bedroom. With a total median of $2,093, DC’s rent is 54.3 percent higher than the national median of $1,356. The District is the 14th most-expensive rental market in the country, according to Apartment List.
In DC, the last time rent decreased was in 2020, when prices dropped 11.4 percent. They quickly rose again in 2021 with a 12.9 percent spike, then saw more modest 2.1, 1.5, and 2.5 percent increases in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Alexandria saw a year-over-year price drop of 2.5 percent. The median rents now stand at $1,974 for a one-bedroom and $2,425 for a two-bedroom. Like DC, rents have been trending positively year over year since 2020.
Arlington rents are down as well, though with a more modest 0.9 percent drop. Rent in Arlington currently stands at $2,372 for a one-bedroom and $2,867 for a two-bedroom.
Several other NoVA localities saw declines, including Centreville (-1.5 percent), Fair Oaks (-2.6 percent), Fairfax City (-2.3 percent), Manassas (-2 percent), and Tysons Corner (-1 percent). Others continued to trend upward, like Annandale (5.2 percent), Ashburn (2.2 percent), Herndon (0.6 percent), and Woodbridge (2.2 percent).
Maggie Roth is the associate editor for Northern Virginia Magazine, where she covers news and culture in the NoVA area. Originally from New Jersey, she is a graduate of George Mason University and joined the magazine in 2021 as an editorial intern.