Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in San Diego, CA

Discover affordable housing in San Diego where there are 217+ 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.

Mission Apartments

1825 Hancock St, San Diego, California 92110

Kalos

3795 Florida St, San Diego, California 92104

Connections Housing

1250 6th Ave, San Diego, California 92101

Knox Glen Townhomes

4754 Logan Ave, San Diego, California 92113

Hollywood Palms Apartments

4372 Home Ave, San Diego, California 92105

Cielo Carmel Apartments

6050 Camino San Fermin, San Diego, California 92130

Mayberry Townhomes

4422 Mayberry St, San Diego, California 92113

Luna At Pacific Highlands Ranch Apartments

6041 Village Way, San Diego, California 92130

Bluewater Apartments

6121 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego, California 92120

Luther Tower Apartments

1455 2nd Avenue, San Diego, California 92101

Parkside Apartments

4035 Park Haven Ct, San Diego, California 92113

Cathedral Plaza

1551 3rd Ave, San Diego, California 92101

Mason

1345 5th Ave, San Diego, California 92101

Parker Kier

2172 Front St, San Diego, California 92101

Tesoro Grove Apartments

1150 Grove Way, San Diego, California 92154

Creekside Trails

2129 Coronado Ave, San Diego, California 92154

Island Village Apartments

1245 Market St, San Diego, California 92101

Euclid Avenue Apartments

2975 Euclid Ave, San Diego, California 92105

Cerro Pueblo

2835 Clairemont Dr, San Diego, California 92117

Canyon Rim Apartments

10845 Via Los Narcisos, San Diego, California 92129

Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Robin Lovelace

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 San Diego, 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 San Diego, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve San Diego, 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 programs for San Diego, California.
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 San Diego, California.

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

How many renters live in San Diego, California?

The City of San Diego has 1,381,182 people living in 528,530 households.

There are 657,066 renters living in 280,411 renter households in this City. Renters make up 47.57 percent of the population living in San Diego.

What is the rental market like in San Diego, California?

There are an estimated 565,401 housing units in the San Diego area. Of these, 294,773 units are rental homes, making up 52 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Diego, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Diego?

The rental vacancy rate in San Diego 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 San Diego for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
28,149 79,327 109,641 45,235 14,406
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego

A large number of apartments in San Diego 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 San Diego are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 53 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 26 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 San Diego

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 San Diego, California

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

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 12,534 45 percent
One BR 20,373 26 percent
Two BR 14,227 13 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in San Diego, California

How many affordable rental units are in San Diego?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 14,918
Public Housing 189
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 5,138
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 239
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 55
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Diego, California

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

Income Based Apartments in San Diego, California

San Diego features 6,434 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 San Diego, California

There are 12,962 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Diego.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Diego, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Diego landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in San Diego.

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.