Rents are 7% below what Visalia'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 $1,839 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 Visalia usually run 0.4% below trend in March and 0.5% above it in July, about $17 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Visalia is 0.6% below its high of $1,851 in July 2026, at $1,839 as of September 2026.
Rent in Visalia changed +2.1% 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 Visalia rose 48.5% while median household income rose 31.7% ($62,263 to $81,989). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Visalia is 53.3% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has fallen 2 months in a row, and rose in 8 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($81,989) is $2,050 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,560); a 3-bedroom is $2,147.
The priciest of 3 ZIP codes in Visalia, 93291 ($1,983/mo), costs 19% more than the cheapest, 93277 ($1,661/mo).
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Visalia. 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
Visalia, CA is majority owner-occupied, has a large share of families with children, 24.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Visalia, CA has changed in 5 years
Rent in Visalia, CA has increased 34.9% since 2021, going from about $1,363 per month to roughly $1,839 today. Median household income grew from $69,252 to $81,989 between 2021 and 2024, a 18.4% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 16.5 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 140,109 to 143,939 between 2021 and 2024, a 2.7% change. About 38.9% of households rent today, against 41.4% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in Visalia, 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 $1,839/mo, how Visalia rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Visalia rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Visalia. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Visalia
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Visalia is $1,839/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,183/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,560/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,190/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,147/mo.
At 27% of local median household income ($81,989/yr), Visalia ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 2.1% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Visalia rent compare to other cities in California?
At $1,839/mo, rent takes ~27% of Visalia's median household income ($81,989/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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