Average rent in California: every big city ranked, from $4,784 in San Francisco to $1,901 in Bakersfield

What does rent cost in California? It depends heavily on the city. Among the 37 California cities with at least 150,000 residents, typical rent in September 2026 ran from $4,784 in San Francisco to $1,901 in Bakersfield, according to RentDataNow data built on the Zillow Observed Rent Index. Statewide, the median gross rent tenants actually paid, including utilities, was $2,104 in 2024, according to the US Census Bureau, compared with $1,487 nationally.

The Bay Area is where rent is moving fastest. San Francisco's typical rent is up 26.3% in a year, and Oakland, Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Fremont are all up 6% or more. Most of Southern California is rising 1% to 4%, and Santa Clarita is the only big city where typical rent slipped. Across all 382 California cities we track, 198 hit a record in September and 15 fell over the year.

Even the cheapest big cities aren't cheap by national standards. Typical rent in Bakersfield, Fresno, and San Bernardino is close to the national typical rent of $1,932. Sacramento, Stockton, and Modesto, in the Central Valley, run about $2,000 to $2,050.

Paychecks haven't kept up. The median California renter household earned $72,161 in 2024, more than the national figure of $54,446, but 55.8% of renter households spent 30% or more of their income on housing, the third-highest share in the country after Florida and Nevada. And 29% spent half or more. Many California renters in buildings at least 15 years old are covered by the state's rent cap of 5% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower, which we explain in California's statewide and local rent caps. For lower-cost options, see the cheapest cities to rent in California.

Sources

• RentDataNow California rent data, anchored to the Zillow Observed Rent Index, September 2026; cities with at least 150,000 residents
• US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2024, tables B25064, B25070, and B25119