Rents are 14% above what Menlo Park's 10-year trend predicts — running hotter than its own history.
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 $4,277 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
January. Asking rents in Menlo Park usually run 1.9% below trend in January and 1.7% above it in August, about $154 a month apart at today's median. Based on 10 years of data.
Rent in Menlo Park is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in May 2016.
Rent in Menlo Park changed +10.8% 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 Menlo Park rose 7.9% while median household income rose 30.6% ($160,784 to $210,025). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in Menlo Park is 24.8% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 8 months in a row, and rose in 11 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($210,025) is $5,251 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 4-bedroom ($4,960).
Belmont, 8 miles away, rents for 11% less ($3,798/mo), about $5,700 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Menlo Park. 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
Menlo Park, CA is roughly split between renters and owners, has a median income above the national average, 72.5% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Menlo Park, CA has changed in 5 years
Rent in Menlo Park, CA has increased 36.3% since 2021, going from about $3,138 per month to roughly $4,277 today. Median household income grew from $179,913 to $210,025 between 2021 and 2024, a 16.7% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 19.6 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 33,677 to 32,727 between 2021 and 2024, a 2.8% change. About 45.8% of households rent today, against 42% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in Menlo Park, 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 $4,277/mo, how Menlo Park rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Menlo Park rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Menlo Park. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Menlo Park
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Menlo Park is $4,277/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $2,560/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $3,740/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $3,130/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $4,660/mo.
At 24% of local median household income ($210,025/yr), Menlo Park ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 10.8% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Menlo Park?
At $4,277/mo, rent takes ~24% of Menlo Park's median household income ($210,025/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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