How much rent can you afford in Santa Monica, CA?
Run your salary against Santa Monica's current rent, or find the income you'd need for a target rent. Powered by live RentDataNow medians.
The 30% rent rule, in Santa Monica
At a median rent of $3,493/mo, Santa Monica is moderately stretched when measured against Santa Monica median household income of $114,885/yr. Rent would consume roughly 36% of pre-tax income, and a salary of about $139,720 keeps rent at the recommended 30% threshold.
How Santa Monica compares nearby
Median rent for the closest cities with data.
Frequently asked
How much rent can I afford in Santa Monica?
On a $114,885 salary (the Santa Monica median household income), the recommended ceiling is 30% of pre-tax income, or about $2,872/mo. Santa Monica's median rent is $3,493/mo. Use the calculator on this page to run your own salary.
What salary do I need to live in Santa Monica?
To keep Santa Monica's $3,493/mo median rent under 30% of income, you'd need about $139,720/yr. Lower your target share (e.g. 25%) to need more, or raise it (e.g. 40%) to need less.
Is Santa Monica affordable on the median California income?
Santa Monica is moderately stretched on a $114,885 income. Rent would take 36% of pre-tax pay, outside the recommended 30% threshold.
What's the 30% rent rule?
The 30% rule is a long-standing budgeting guideline that keeps rent at or below 30% of gross (pre-tax) income. It leaves enough room for utilities, transit, savings, and debt service. In high-cost markets, many renters exceed 30%, and the Census Bureau classifies households paying more than 30% of income on rent as "cost-burdened".