Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Santa Cruz County, CA

Discover affordable housing in Santa Cruz County where there are 72+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Parkhurst Terrace

100-A Parkhurst Cir, Aptos, California 95003

Mission Gardens

90 Grandview St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

East Cliff Village

1635 Tremont Dr, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Garfield Park Village

721 Bay St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Aptos Blue

3200 Aptos Rancho Rd, Aptos, California 95003

Sunny Meadows Apartments

200 Ross Ave, Freedom, California 95019

Schapiro Knolls

33 Minto Rd, Watsonville, California 95076

Pippin Orchards Apartments

56 Atkinson Lane, Watsonville, California 95076

Kristen Court Apartments

9027 N St, Live Oak, California 95953

San Andreas

295 San Andreas Rd, Watsonville, California 95076

The Farm

3120 Cunnison Ln, Soquel, California 95073

Jardines Del Valle

76 Murphy's Crossing Rd, Watsonville, California 95076

Villas Del Paraiso

340A Paraiso Dr, Watsonville, California 95076

Via Del Mar

124 W Beach St, Watsonville, California 95076

Emerald Hill

101 Civic Center Dr, Scotts Valley, California 95066

Jessie Street

314 Jessie Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Ocean Street Apartments

350 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Seacliff Highlands Apartments

151 Canterbury Drive, Aptos, California 95003

Nuevo Amanecer Apartments

15 Salinas Road, Pajaro Dunes, California 95076

Pacifica Apartments

201 Pacifica Blvd, Watsonville, California 95076

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Santa Cruz County, California
$76.78/hour
$60.78 (+380%) more than California minimum wage and $69.53 (+959%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Santa Cruz County, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Santa Cruz County, California?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP) programs for Santa Cruz County, California.

Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Santa Cruz County.

How many renters live in Santa Cruz County, California?

The County of Santa Cruz County has 264,370 people living in 96,015 households.

There are 97,520 renters living in 38,104 renter households in this County. Renters make up 36.89 percent of the population living in Santa Cruz County.

What is the rental market like in Santa Cruz County, California?

There are an estimated 107,121 housing units in the Santa Cruz County area. Of these, 40,140 units are rental homes, making up 37 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Santa Cruz County, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Santa Cruz County?

The rental vacancy rate in Santa Cruz County is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

How many rental units are in Santa Cruz County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Cruz County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
4,199 7,886 15,442 7,418 1,775
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Cruz County

A large number of apartments in Santa Cruz County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How many renter households in Santa Cruz County are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 53 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 31 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.

The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

How Much Is Rent in Santa Cruz County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,849 to $5,504. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,849
One BR $3,085
Two BR $4,054
Three BR $5,000
Four BR $5,504
2024 Fair Market Rents in Santa Cruz County, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Santa Cruz County?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 2,601 62 percent
One BR 3,410 43 percent
Two BR 3,039 20 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Santa Cruz County, California

How many affordable rental units are in Santa Cruz County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Santa Cruz County, California including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,609
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,124
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 25
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 36
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 81
USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing 53
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Santa Cruz County, California

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County features 1,630 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Santa Cruz County, California

There are 2,386 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Santa Cruz County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Santa Cruz County, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Santa Cruz County landlords $1,300 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $600 towards rent in Santa Cruz County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Santa Cruz County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,649 and $4,459.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.