Rents are right about where Pleasant Hill's 10-year trend predicts.
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 $3,042 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 Pleasant Hill usually run 0.7% below trend in March and 0.9% above it in June, about $49 a month apart at today's median. Based on 8 years of data.
Rent in Pleasant Hill is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in November 2017.
Rent in Pleasant Hill changed +6.4% 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 Pleasant Hill rose 17.3% while median household income rose 21.9% ($118,947 to $145,029). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in Pleasant Hill is 25.2% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 6 months in a row, and rose in 9 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($145,029) is $3,626 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($2,920); a 3-bedroom is $3,740.
Concord, 4 miles away, rents for 16% less ($2,569/mo), about $5,700 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Pleasant Hill. 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
Pleasant Hill, CA is majority owner-occupied, has a median income above the national average, 54.6% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Pleasant Hill, CA has changed in 5 years
Rent in Pleasant Hill, CA has climbed 20.1% since 2021, going from about $2,533 per month to roughly $3,042 today. Median household income grew from $131,012 to $145,029 between 2021 and 2024, a 10.7% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 9.4 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 34,649 to 34,235 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.2% change. About 37.4% of households rent today, against 35.3% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in Pleasant Hill, 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 Pleasant Hill on your salary?
At $3,042/mo, how Pleasant Hill rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Pleasant Hill rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Pleasant Hill. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Pleasant Hill
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Pleasant Hill is $3,042/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $2,110/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $2,920/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $2,400/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $3,740/mo.
At 25% of local median household income ($145,029/yr), Pleasant Hill ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 6.4% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Pleasant Hill?
At $3,042/mo, rent takes ~25% of Pleasant Hill's median household income ($145,029/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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