Rents are 5% below what Martinez'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 $2,509 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: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
March. Asking rents in Martinez usually run 0.6% below trend in March and 0.7% above it in September, about $33 a month apart at today's median. Based on 8 years of data.
Rent in Martinez is 0.3% below its high of $2,517 in August 2026, at $2,509 as of September 2026.
Rent in Martinez changed +1.7% over the year to September 2026. Across the 336 California cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +3.4%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Martinez rose 24.9% while median household income rose 18.7% ($107,328 to $127,355). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Martinez is 25.9% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($127,355) is $3,184 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 3-bedroom ($3,110); a 4-bedroom is $3,690.
Vallejo, 11 miles away, rents for 12% less ($2,200/mo), about $3,700 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Martinez. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Martinez, CA is majority owner-occupied, has a median income above the national average, 46.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Martinez, CA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Martinez, CA has climbed by $476 per month, settling near $2,509 after starting the period at $2,033. Median household income grew from $114,390 to $127,355 between 2021 and 2024, a 11.3% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 12.1 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 37,308 to 36,903 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.1% change. Taken together, the five-year picture in Martinez, 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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At $2,509/mo, how Martinez rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Martinez rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Martinez. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Martinez
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Martinez is $2,509/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,750/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $2,430/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,990/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $3,110/mo.
At 24% of local median household income ($127,355/yr), Martinez ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.7% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Martinez?
At $2,509/mo, rent takes ~24% of Martinez's median household income ($127,355/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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