Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in El Cajon, CA

Discover affordable housing in El Cajon where there are 13+ 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.

calendar_today Opened: Sep 1
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Lorena Bentley

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In El Cajon, California
$53.66/hour
$37.66 (+235%) more than California minimum wage and $46.41 (+640%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About El Cajon, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve El Cajon, 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), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Moderate Rehabilitation, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs for El Cajon, California.

Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near El Cajon.

How many renters live in El Cajon, California?

The City of El Cajon has 104,417 people living in 33,580 households.

There are 56,233 renters living in 19,719 renter households in this City. Renters make up 53.85 percent of the population living in El Cajon.

What is the rental market like in El Cajon, California?

There are an estimated 35,786 housing units in the El Cajon area. Of these, 20,797 units are rental homes, making up 58 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in El Cajon, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in El Cajon?

The rental vacancy rate in El Cajon is 2 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 El Cajon for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in El Cajon
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,400 5,660 9,991 2,492 496
Occupied Rental Units by Size in El Cajon

A large number of apartments in El Cajon 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 El Cajon are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 64 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 36 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 El Cajon

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,062 to $4,638. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,062
One BR $2,248
Two BR $2,833
Three BR $3,819
Four BR $4,638
2024 Fair Market Rents in El Cajon, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in El Cajon?

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 941 67 percent
One BR 3,224 57 percent
Two BR 2,061 21 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in El Cajon, California

How many affordable rental units are in El Cajon?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in El Cajon, California including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 674
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 589
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 24
Tracked Units by Federal Program in El Cajon, California

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

Income Based Apartments in El Cajon, California

El Cajon features 607 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 El Cajon, California

There are 413 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in El Cajon.

Housing Choice Vouchers in El Cajon, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay El Cajon landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in El Cajon.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in El Cajon, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,550 and $3,116.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.