Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Oakland, CA

Discover affordable housing in Oakland where there are 245+ 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.

Image of The Uptown Apartments

The Uptown Apartments

500 William Street, Oakland, California 94612

bed Studio-3
payment $1773-2677/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Lion Creek Crossings

Lion Creek Crossings

6951 Lion Way, Oakland, California 94621

bed 1-5
payment $843-1432/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible
Image of The Claridge Hotel

The Claridge Hotel

634 15th St, Oakland, California 94612

bed Studio
payment $765/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Macarthur Apartments

Macarthur Apartments

9800 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, California 94605

bed 1-3
payment $449-1160/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible
Image of Piedmont Apartments

Piedmont Apartments

215 West MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, California 94611

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible
Image of Providence House Oakland

Providence House Oakland

540 23rd St, Oakland, California 94612

bed 1-2
payment Subsidized
Image of Westlake Christian Terrace West

Westlake Christian Terrace West

275 28th St, Oakland, California 94611

bed 1
payment Subsidized
Image of Oak Grove North & South

Oak Grove North & South

620 17th St, Oakland, California 94612

bed 1-2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Image of Acts Cyrene Apartments

Acts Cyrene Apartments

9400 International Blvd, Oakland, California 94603

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Image of Westlake Christian Terrace I

Westlake Christian Terrace I

251 28th St, Oakland, California 94611

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Harrison Street Senior Housing

Harrison Street Senior Housing

1633 Harrison St, Oakland, California 94612

bed 1
payment Subsidized
elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible
Image of San Antonio Terrace Apartments

San Antonio Terrace Apartments

1485 E 22nd Street, Oakland, California 94606

bed 2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible
Image of Vista Estero

Vista Estero

285 8th Avenue, Oakland, California 94606

bed 1-2
payment $605-1511/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Lincoln Court Senior Apartments

Lincoln Court Senior Apartments

2400 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, California 94602

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Baywood Apartments

Baywood Apartments

225 41st Street, Oakland, California 94611

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of City Towers Apartments

City Towers Apartments

1065 8th St, Oakland, California 94607

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Oak Center Towers

Oak Center Towers

1515 Market St, Oakland, California 94607

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Posada de Colores

Posada de Colores

2221 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, California 94601

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Redwood Hill Townhomes

Redwood Hill Townhomes

4868 Calaveras Ave, Oakland, California 94619

bed 2-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible
Image of Empyrean Tower

Empyrean Tower

344 13th St., Oakland, California 94612

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Oakland, California

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

BadgeDescription
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable
Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing - or NOAH - is any housing unit that offers affordable rent without participating in a rent subsidy program.
calendar_today Opens: Dec 15
calendar_today Closes: Jan 31,

Reported On October 31st, 2024 by David Layfield

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Oakland, California
$49.05/hour
$33.05 (+207%) more than California minimum wage and $41.80 (+577%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Oakland, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Oakland, 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, Moving to Work, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Mainstream Voucher, Moderate Rehabilitation, Homeownership, Family Unification Program (FUP), Shelter Plus Care programs for Oakland, California.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Oakland, California.

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

How many renters live in Oakland, California?

The City of Oakland has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 51.76 percent of the population living in Oakland.

What is the rental market like in Oakland, California?

There are an estimated housing units in the Oakland area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Oakland, California, there are 1.08 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Oakland?

The rental vacancy rate in Oakland is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.

How many rental units are in Oakland for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Oakland
StudioOne-BedroomTwo-BedroomThree-BedroomFour+ Bedrooms
13,95236,43332,07613,7723,024
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Oakland

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

How Much Is Rent in Oakland

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,825 to $3,954. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio$1,825
One BR$2,131
Two BR$2,590
Three BR$3,342
Four BR$3,954
2024 Fair Market Rents in Oakland, California

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

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 SizeCount of Units Below FMRPercentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio6,74948 percent
One BR15,18642 percent
Two BR8,27826 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Oakland, California

How many affordable rental units are in Oakland?

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

Federal ProgramUnit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Oakland, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Oakland, California

Oakland features 7,155 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 Oakland, California

There are 5,982 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Oakland.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Oakland, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Oakland landlords $1,400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Oakland.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Oakland, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,331 and $2,849.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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