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

Discover affordable housing in San Jose where there are 233+ 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.

Colonial Way Apartments

3051 Colonial Way, San Jose, California 95128

bed 1-2
payment $2145-2545/mo.

The Colonnade Apartments

201 S 4th St, San Jose, California 95112

bed Studio-1
payment $2178-2254/mo.

Saratoga Savoy Apartments

1225-1255 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, California 95129

bed 1
payment $2395/mo.

101 San Fernando

101 E San Fernando St, San Jose, California 95112

bed 1
payment $2589/mo.

Via Reggio

1277 San Tomas Aquino Rd, San Jose, California 95117

bed 1-2
payment $2495-3090/mo.

The Lex

5560 Lexington Ave, San Jose, California 95123

bed 1-2
payment $2565-3065/mo.

Westwood Properties

55-75 S 6th St, San Jose, California 95112

bed Studio-1
payment $1795-2075/mo.

San Marino

2175 Aborn Rd, San Jose, California 95121

bed 1-2
payment $2645-2998/mo.

N. San Pedro Apartments

515 N San Pedro St, San Jose, California 95110

bed 1
payment $1995/mo.

Rosa Crest Studio

394 Boynton Ave, San Jose, California 95117

bed Studio
payment $1895/mo.

Meridian at Midtown

1432 W San Carlos St, San Jose, California 95126

bed 2
payment $2807/mo.

La Terraza

470 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, California 95129

bed 2
payment $3004/mo.

Sycamore Park

398 Boynton Ave, San Jose, California 95117

bed 1-2
payment $2100-2895/mo.

Creekside Apartments

1800 Stokes St, San Jose, California 95126

bed 1
payment $2310/mo.

Koi Creek

1150 Pedro St, San Jose, California 95126

bed Studio-1
payment $1850-2095/mo.

787 The Alameda

787 The Alameda, San Jose, California 95126

bed 2
payment $3028/mo.

The Monterey Apartments

3510 Moorpark Ave, San Jose, California 95117

bed Studio-2
payment $2005-2620/mo.

Ascent

5805 Charlotte Dr, San Jose, California 95123

bed 1
payment $2681/mo.

808 West Apartments

808 W San Carlos St, San Jose, California 95126

bed 1
payment $2678/mo.

Vintage Tower

235 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, California 95113

bed 1
payment $1605/mo.

How To Identify Affordable Housing in San Jose, 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 San Jose, 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 San Jose, California Affordable Housing ↓

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

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

How many renters live in San Jose, California?

The City of San Jose has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 41.86 percent of the population living in San Jose.

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

There are an estimated housing units in the San Jose area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Jose, California, there are 1.06 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Jose?

The rental vacancy rate in San Jose is 5 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 Jose for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Jose
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
17,586 40,930 53,735 22,949 10,466
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Jose

A large number of apartments in San Jose 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 San Jose

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 San Jose, California

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

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 6,565 37 percent
One BR 8,267 20 percent
Two BR 6,458 12 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in San Jose, California

How many affordable rental units are in San Jose?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Jose, 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 236 Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Jose, California

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

Income Based Apartments in San Jose, California

San Jose features 3,824 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 Jose, California

There are 16,788 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Jose.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Jose, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Jose landlords $1,700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $600 towards rent in San Jose.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Jose, 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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