Rents are 9% below what Santa Clarita'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 $2,783 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 Santa Clarita usually run 1% below trend in January and 0.5% above it in May, about $42 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Santa Clarita is 1% below its high of $2,811 in April 2026, at $2,783 as of September 2026.
Rent in Santa Clarita changed -0.1% 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 Santa Clarita rose 30.5% while median household income rose 23.5% ($99,666 to $123,062). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Santa Clarita is 31% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 6 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($123,062) is $3,077 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 1-bedroom ($2,615); a 2-bedroom is $3,300.
The priciest of 6 ZIP codes in Santa Clarita, 91350 ($3,598/mo), costs 44% more than the cheapest, 91321 ($2,498/mo).
Lancaster, 30 miles away, rents for 12% less ($2,460/mo), about $3,900 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Santa Clarita. 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
Santa Clarita, CA is majority owner-occupied, has a median income above the national average, 39.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Santa Clarita, CA has changed in 5 years
Rent in Santa Clarita, CA has increased 24.1% since 2021, going from about $2,243 per month to roughly $2,783 today. Median household income grew from $106,166 to $123,062 between 2021 and 2024, a 15.9% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 8.2 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 227,182 to 230,221 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.3% change. About 28.2% of households rent today, against 29.7% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 37.7% to 39.8%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita on your salary?
At $2,783/mo, how Santa Clarita rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Santa Clarita rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Santa Clarita. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Santa Clarita
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Santa Clarita is $2,783/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $2,332/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $3,300/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $2,615/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $4,195/mo.
At 27% of local median household income ($123,062/yr), Santa Clarita ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have decreased 0.1% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Santa Clarita rent compare to other cities in California?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Santa Clarita?
At $2,783/mo, rent takes ~27% of Santa Clarita's median household income ($123,062/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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