Rents are 12% below what Imperial Beach's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $2,938 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: August 17, 2026
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Who lives here
Imperial Beach, CA is majority renter-occupied, 26.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Imperial Beach, CA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Imperial Beach, CA has increased by $816 per month, settling near $2,938 after starting the period at $2,122. Median household income grew from $68,917 to $86,111 between 2021 and 2024, a 24.9% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 13.6 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 26,375 to 25,764 between 2021 and 2024, a 2.3% change. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 23.4% to 26.7%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Imperial Beach, CA reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Can you afford rent in Imperial Beach on your salary?
At $2,938/mo, how Imperial Beach rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Imperial Beach rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Imperial Beach. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Imperial Beach
Last updated: August 17, 2026
The median rent in Imperial Beach is $2,938/mo as of August 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,910/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $2,570/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $2,080/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $3,440/mo.
At 41% of local median household income ($86,111/yr), Imperial Beach ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 6.7% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Imperial Beach rent compare to other cities in California?
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What percentage of Imperial Beach residents rent vs. own?
How does Imperial Beach rent compare to the national average?
At $2,938/mo, rent takes ~41% of Imperial Beach's median household income ($86,111/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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