Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Palo Alto, CA

Discover affordable housing in Palo Alto where there are 21+ 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.

Mayfield Place

2500 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Page Mill Court

2700 Ash St, Palo Alto, California 94306

bed 1-2
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability

Palo Alto Gardens

650 San Antonio Rd, Palo Alto, California 94306

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Wilton Court

3705 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Stevenson House

455 E Charleston Rd, Palo Alto, California 94306

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Colorado Park Apartments

1141 Colorado Ave, Palo Alto, California 94303

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Webster Wood

941 Webster St, Palo Alto, California 94301

payment Subsidized

Lytton Gardens I

656 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto, California 94301

payment Subsidized

Lytton Gardens IV

330 Everett Ave, Palo Alto, California 94301

payment Subsidized
elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible

Lytton Gardens II

649 University Ave, Palo Alto, California 94301

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Arastradero Park Apartments

574 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto, California 94306

payment Subsidized

3825 Fabian Way

3825 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, California 94303

bed 1
payment $1200/mo.

Alma Place

753 Alma St, Palo Alto, California 94301

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

California Park Apartments

2301 Park Blvd, Palo Alto, California 94306

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Opportunity Center of the Midpeninsula

33 Encina Ave, Palo Alto, California 94301

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Terman Apartments

4230 Terman Drive, Palo Alto, California 94306

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized

Tree House Apartments

488 W Charleston Rd, Palo Alto, California 94306

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Alta Torre

3895 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, California 94303

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Oak Court Apartments

845 Ramona St, Palo Alto, California 94301

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

The Sheridan Apartments

360 Sheridan Ave, Palo Alto, California 94306

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Palo Alto, 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.

Badge Description
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.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Palo Alto, California
$59.32/hour
$43.32 (+271%) more than California minimum wage and $52.07 (+718%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Palo Alto, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Palo Alto, 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) programs for Palo Alto, California.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Moving to Work programs for Palo Alto, California.

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

How many renters live in Palo Alto, California?

The City of Palo Alto has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 41.17 percent of the population living in Palo Alto.

What is the rental market like in Palo Alto, California?

There are an estimated housing units in the Palo Alto area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Palo Alto, California, there are 1.21 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Palo Alto?

The rental vacancy rate in Palo Alto is 12 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 Palo Alto for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Palo Alto
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,057 3,495 4,139 1,655 922
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Palo Alto

A large number of apartments in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,383 to $4,425. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,383
One BR $2,694
Two BR $3,132
Three BR $4,011
Four BR $4,425
2024 Fair Market Rents in Palo Alto, California

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

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 437 41 percent
One BR 667 19 percent
Two BR 327 8 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Palo Alto, California

How many affordable rental units are in Palo Alto?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
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 Palo Alto, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Palo Alto, California

Palo Alto features 915 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 Palo Alto, California

There are 657 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Palo Alto.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Palo Alto, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Palo Alto landlords $1,700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Palo Alto.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Palo Alto, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,819 and $3,445.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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