County FMR · HUD FY2026
Santa Cruz County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Santa Cruz County, CA - 244% above the US average.
- $3,298
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $4,214
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +2.4%
- YoY change
- +244%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Santa Cruz is the 1st most expensive of 58 counties in California by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #31 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #31
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #1
- most expensive of 58 in California (2BR)
- +100%
- vs the state average
- $131,920
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (23.2%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (106.9%); only 2 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold; nearby California counties range as much as 68% apart in 1-bedroom FMR, so the county line itself can matter for renters comparing options.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Santa Cruz County, CA. Verify with HUD →
Santa Cruz County, California carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $3,298 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $4,214/mo and a studio is $3,179/mo. That's 244% above the national benchmark of $959 and 100% above the California average of $1,647.
Rent increased2.4% from FY 2025 ($3,221), outpacing inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $131,920/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
Observed renter burden: 48.5% of the 38,771 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.4%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 6.0% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in California. Population: 268,571. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.8%, Census ACS). That's slower than California's statewide growth of +0.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area SANTA·CRUZ·COUNTY·CA·CA
Santa Cruz County, CA: $3,298/mo 1BR · #31 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA CA
- 1BR-FMR $3,298
- 2BR-FMR $4,214
- RANK-UPPER #31
- YOY-UP +2.4%
- VSUS-HIGH +244%
- VS-ST-HIGH +100% CA
- INC-STRETCH 36%
- POP-MAJOR 269K
- PHOTO-NEAR Los Angeles County
- VOUCH-90-110 $2,968–$3,628
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Los Angeles ($1,213 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $3,056 | $3,179 | +$123 (+4.0%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $3,221 | $3,298 | +$77 (+2.4%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $4,223 | $4,214 | $-9 (-0.2%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $5,256 | $5,377 | +$121 (+2.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $5,605 | $5,659 | +$54 (+1.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Santa Cruz County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.
How we calculate this
Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.
Where Santa Cruz sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$4,214 Top 1% higher than 99% of 3,145 counties
Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026
How Santa Cruz compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other California counties
- Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County
$3,298 1BR FMR / mo
- Santa Clara
Santa Clara County
$2,982 1BR FMR / mo
- Orange
Orange County
$2,746 1BR FMR / mo
- San Diego
San Diego County
$2,459 1BR FMR / mo
- Los Angeles
Los Angeles County
$2,085 1BR FMR / mo
- Riverside
Riverside County
$1,777 1BR FMR / mo
- San Bernardino
San Bernardino County
$1,777 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Santa Cruz is highlighted. Nearby California counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Santa Cruz County (this county) ($3,298), Santa Clara County ($2,982), Orange County ($2,746), San Diego County ($2,459), Los Angeles County ($2,085), Riverside County ($1,777), San Bernardino County ($1,777).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $3,298/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using California BLS wages?
| Occupation | CA Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $170,910 | 23.2% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $140,330 | 28.2% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $125,240 | 31.6% | Stretched |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $115,400 | 34.3% | Stretched |
| Elementary School Teachers | $98,190 | 40.3% | Stretched |
| Accountants & Auditors | $96,360 | 41.1% | Stretched |
| Electricians | $76,540 | 51.7% | Unaffordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $72,960 | 54.2% | Unaffordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,950 | 66% | Unaffordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $49,640 | 79.7% | Unaffordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $47,790 | 82.8% | Unaffordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $45,460 | 87.1% | Unaffordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $38,640 | 102.4% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $37,250 | 106.2% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $37,010 | 106.9% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Santa Cruz County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Santa Cruz (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 72.4% overall, from $1,913 to $3,298. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 23.3% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑2.4% | $3,179 | $3,298 | $4,214 |
| FY 2025 ↑4.4% | $3,056 | $3,221 | $4,223 |
| FY 2024 ↑23.3% | $2,849 | $3,085 | $4,054 |
| FY 2023 ↑4.9% | $2,212 | $2,502 | $3,293 |
| FY 2022 ↑4.1% | $2,085 | $2,385 | $3,138 |
| FY 2021 ↑19.8% | $1,993 | $2,292 | $3,021 |
| FY 2020 | $1,641 | $1,913 | $2,519 |
Part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metro Area
Santa Cruz County is a central county of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area.
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Santa Cruz County, both outside California so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.
Similar 2-bedroom FMR
Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside CA (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside CA).
Nearby Counties in California
Largest counties by population in California
Showing the 8 largest of 57 other counties in California.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Santa Cruz County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Santa Cruz County is $3,298 per month. A 2-bedroom is $4,214 and a studio is $3,179.
How does Santa Cruz County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Santa Cruz County is 244% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $3,298 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Santa Cruz County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Santa Cruz County's 2-bedroom FMR of $4,214 ranks #31 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the highest-rent tenth of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Santa Cruz County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $131,920 ($10,993/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Santa Cruz County.
Is rent going up or down in Santa Cruz County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Santa Cruz County increased by 2.4% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $3,221 to $3,298.
Which jobs can afford rent in Santa Cruz County?
Based on California BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $3,298/mo. 2 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Santa Cruz County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Santa Cruz County went from $1,913 in FY 2020 to $3,298 in FY 2026, a total change of +72.4% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Santa Cruz County?
In Santa Cruz County, the FY 2026 FMR of $3,298/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Santa Cruz County?
For Santa Cruz County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($3,298/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Santa Cruz County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.4%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
What is the unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 6.0% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Santa Cruz's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $3,298 implies about $131,920/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- California counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Los Angeles
- See where Santa Cruz ranks nationally on rent. National rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.