Median gross rent in California
At $1,875, the median gross rent in California is 44% above the national figure of $1,303, ranking 1 of 52, with San Mateo County the highest county at $2,805.
Gross rent includes utilities the tenant pays, so it is closer to what actually leaves the account each month than a headline asking rent.
| Rank | County | Typical figure | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo County | $2,805 | 754,250 residents |
| 2 | Santa Clara County | $2,719 | 1,916,831 residents |
| 3 | Marin County | $2,487 | 260,485 residents |
| 4 | San Francisco County | $2,316 | 851,036 residents |
| 5 | Orange County | $2,248 | 3,175,227 residents |
| 6 | Contra Costa County | $2,234 | 1,162,648 residents |
| 7 | Alameda County | $2,229 | 1,663,823 residents |
| 8 | Ventura County | $2,140 | 842,009 residents |
| 9 | Santa Cruz County | $2,094 | 268,571 residents |
| 10 | Napa County | $2,037 | 137,384 residents |
| 11 | Sonoma County | $2,029 | 488,436 residents |
| 12 | San Diego County | $2,011 | 3,289,701 residents |
| 13 | Solano County | $1,981 | 450,995 residents |
| 14 | Santa Barbara County | $1,964 | 445,213 residents |
| 15 | Placer County | $1,874 | 406,608 residents |
| 16 | Monterey County | $1,873 | 437,609 residents |
| 17 | San Benito County | $1,830 | 64,753 residents |
| 18 | Los Angeles County | $1,805 | 9,936,690 residents |
| 19 | San Luis Obispo County | $1,800 | 281,712 residents |
| 20 | Riverside County | $1,711 | 2,429,487 residents |
| 21 | Yolo County | $1,655 | 217,141 residents |
| 22 | Calaveras County | $1,621 | 45,674 residents |
| 23 | Sacramento County | $1,599 | 1,579,211 residents |
| 24 | El Dorado County | $1,597 | 191,713 residents |
| 25 | San Bernardino County | $1,584 | 2,180,563 residents |
| 26 | San Joaquin County | $1,542 | 779,445 residents |
| 27 | Nevada County | $1,487 | 102,322 residents |
| 28 | Stanislaus County | $1,433 | 552,063 residents |
| 29 | Sutter County | $1,289 | 99,101 residents |
| 30 | Butte County | $1,280 | 213,605 residents |
| 31 | Mono County | $1,259 | 13,219 residents |
| 32 | Amador County | $1,257 | 40,577 residents |
| 33 | Mendocino County | $1,240 | 91,145 residents |
| 34 | Shasta County | $1,232 | 181,852 residents |
| 35 | Fresno County | $1,207 | 1,008,280 residents |
| 36 | Lake County | $1,206 | 68,024 residents |
| 37 | Kings County | $1,201 | 152,515 residents |
| 38 | Merced County | $1,200 | 282,290 residents |
| 39 | Humboldt County | $1,191 | 136,132 residents |
| 40 | Madera County | $1,185 | 157,243 residents |
Rent or buy: run it against your own numbers
Once you know the typical local rent, the buy-side question is whether a payment here beats it. An agent can price that out for your area.
Get matched with an agentRelated
- Rent vs buy calculator
- Median household income in California
- Median home value in California
- Median gross rent in Texas
- Median gross rent in Florida
- Median gross rent in New York
- Median gross rent in Pennsylvania
- Median gross rent in Illinois
- Median gross rent in Ohio
- Median gross rent in Georgia
- Median gross rent in North Carolina
Methodology
Every figure on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates. We store one row per county and roll counties up to state level, weighting each county by its population so that large metros are not treated the same as very small counties.
The median gross rent shown for a state is that population-weighted figure, not a simple average of county values. National comparisons use the same method across all states, so the state-versus-U.S. gap you see is a like-for-like comparison.
These are survey estimates, not transaction records, and they describe typical households rather than any individual situation. Nothing here is personalised financial advice.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2022.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year).