A free resource by NextGen Coastal — monthly OC rental market intelligence
State data • Updated March 2026

California rent: top & bottom cities

Median ZORI rent across California cities, statewide macro overlay, plus the most-expensive and most-affordable cities side by side. Live from the NGP-Rental-Data warehouse.

California at a glance

$2,784Median city rent (ZORI)
5.4%Unemployment
8,130Permits / month
20Cities w/ rent data

Unemployment from FRED state series. Permits from Census BPS. Median = median across all California cities with current ZORI data. See methodology.

Most expensive & most affordable

Top 10 by rent

CityRent (ZORI)YoY
Malibu $16,598 -3.4%
Los Altos Hills $15,798
Del Mar $11,022 +21.1%
Indian Wells $8,000
Los Altos $6,785 +5.9%
San Marino $6,133
Saratoga $6,025 +3.0%
Manhattan Beach $5,863 +2.2%
Rancho Palos Verdes $5,580 +1.6%
Coronado $5,349 +4.9%

Top 10 most affordable (pop ≥ 50k)

CityRent (ZORI)YoY
Porterville $1,201 +4.1%
Redding $1,610 +5.1%
Chico $1,619 +2.9%
Tulare $1,793 +2.7%
Visalia $1,824 +3.0%
Merced $1,841 +1.0%
Citrus Heights $1,854 +3.4%
Yucaipa $1,861 -1.3%
Yuba City $1,865 +0.8%
Fresno $1,900 +2.6%

Top 5 cities — overlaid rent trajectory

ZORI rent index — top 5 California cities

Monthly Zillow ZORI rent index. Data updates monthly. Source: methodology.

Compare cities in California

Pick any 2-4 cities for a side-by-side view:

Malibu vs Los Altos Hills vs Del Mar · Pick your own →