California ZIP Codes

What ZIP-level rent looks like in California

HUD publishes Fair Market Rents at the FMR area level, either a metropolitan statistical area or a non-metro county, not at the ZIP code level. Every ZIP code inside a given FMR area inherits the same HUD rent schedule. Across California's 1,761 mapped ZIP codes for FY 2026, the population-independent statewide averages are $1,513 for a studio, $1,647 for a 1-bedroom, $2,053 for a 2-bedroom, $2,752 for a 3-bedroom, and $3,165 for a 4-bedroom. Housing authorities use each ZIP's county or metro FMR (not the state average) to set Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards, typically 90%–110% of FMR.

Inside California the range across ZIP codes is wide: the most expensive mapped ZIP is 95003 (Aptos) at $4,214 for a 2-bedroom, while the cheapest is 96056 (Mcarthur) at $1,108 - a 2-bedroom price spread of roughly 280%. Compared to the US 1-bedroom average of $959, California's statewide 1-bedroom average is 72% above the US benchmark. Because county boundaries drive FMR, two adjacent ZIPs sitting in different counties can have very different official rents even when their neighborhood rental markets are nearly identical.

Some urban markets participate in HUD's Small Area FMR (SAFMR) program, which replaces a single metro FMR with ZIP-specific figures to give voucher holders access to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Outside SAFMR metros, the county FMR stays the single reference for every ZIP inside that county. For renters, landlords, and Section 8 recipients, the practical takeaway is simple: treat this statewide table as a CA relocation shortlist, if you need more accuracy, click through to the specific county page where each ZIP's payment standard, year-over-year FMR change, and bedroom-specific rents are documented directly from HUD's published schedule.