Metro FMR · CBSA 42100 · HUD FY2026

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA metro area - 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

A 2-bedroom in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA area rents at $4,214 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 259% above the US average, higher than 99% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#4
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+259%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$168,560
income to afford it (30% rule)
+2.4%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Santa Cruz-Watsonville: FMR vs median income (above 30% guide)

At the metro's ACS median household income of $109,266, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 36.2% of annual income. That is above the 30% affordability guide before other household costs.

The 2-bedroom figure places Santa Cruz-Watsonville in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 268,571 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.8%, Census ACS).

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.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $2,172/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $4,214 runs 94.0% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#4 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

A median-income household reaches the 30% guide before a two-bedroom FMR: that band alone takes 46.3% of the metro's recorded median income.

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 the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$3,179/mo

34.9% of median income

1 Bedroom

$3,298/mo

36.2% of median income

2 Bedroom

$4,214/mo

46.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$5,377/mo

59.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$5,659/mo

62.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·42100

Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $3,298/mo 1BR · #4 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 42100

  • CBSA 42100
  • 1BR-FMR $3,298
  • 2BR-FMR $4,214
  • RANK-UPPER #4
  • YOY-UP +2.4%
  • VSUS-HIGH +244%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #25 CA
  • INC-STRETCH 36%
  • POP-MAJOR 269K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bakersfield-Delano
  • VOUCH-90-110 $2,968–$3,628
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bakersfield-Delano ($2,158 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Santa Cruz-Watsonville sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$4,214 Top 1% higher than 99% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Below this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Below this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Below this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Below this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Below this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Below this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). This entry sits in this band. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. 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

Santa Cruz-Watsonville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #4 nationally

1BR $3,298 (+244% vs US, +2.4% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 42100.

Studio
$3,179
US avg $893
↑4.0% YoY +256% vs US
1 Bedroom
$3,298
US avg $959
↑2.4% YoY +244% vs US
2 Bedroom
$4,214
US avg $1,175
↓0.2% YoY +259% vs US
3 Bedroom
$5,377
US avg $1,525
↑2.3% YoY +253% vs US
4 Bedroom
$5,659
US avg $1,756
↑1.0% YoY +222% vs US

How Santa Cruz-Watsonville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Santa Cruz-Watsonville highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Santa Cruz-Watsonville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Santa Cruz-Watsonville with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside CA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside CA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy
MA · 2 BR $2,941/mo
Urban Honolulu
HI · 2 BR $2,642/mo
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
CT · 2 BR $2,511/mo
Seattle-Bellevue
WA · 2 BR $2,501/mo

Burden % · outside CA

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Fort Lauderdale
FL · 38.1% of income · 2 BR $2,333/mo
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
FL · 33.3% of income · 2 BR $1,977/mo
Flagstaff
AZ · 33.1% of income · 2 BR $1,921/mo
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
FL · 32.2% of income · 2 BR $1,961/mo

Santa Cruz-Watsonville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA is $3,298 per month. A 2-bedroom is $4,214 and a studio is $3,179.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA metro area is 244% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $3,298 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Santa Cruz-Watsonville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $4,214 ranks #4 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA? ▼
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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA area.
Is Santa Cruz-Watsonville's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.8%, Census ACS). 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.

Compare Santa Cruz-Watsonville vs Bakersfield-Delano →

What this means for renters

Treat Santa Cruz-Watsonville'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
  • See how Santa Cruz-Watsonville stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Bakersfield-Delano
  • See where Santa Cruz-Watsonville ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $3,298/mo · 1BR CA

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.