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

Discover affordable housing in San Jose where there are 184+ 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.

Guadalupe Apartments

2151 Plaza De Guadalupe, San Jose, California 95110

Edanvale Special Needs

5340 Monterey Highway, San Jose, California 95111

Paula Apartments

801 Paula Street, San Jose, California 95126

Troy Apartments

714 S Almaden Avenue, San Jose, California 95110

San Jose Gardens

4668 Albany Dr, San Jose, California 95129

Almaden Garden Apartments

947-C Branham Lane, San Jose, California 95136

Baker Park

4748 Campbell Ave, San Jose, California 95130

Iamesi Village

201 Bassett St., San Jose, California 95110

Immanuel-Sobrato Community

1710 Moorpark Ave., San Jose, California 95128

Orchard Glen Apartments

3975 7 Trees Blvd, San Jose, California 95111

Almaden 1930 Apartments

1930 Almaden Rd, San Jose, California 95125

David Avenue Apartments

3040 David Ave, San Jose, California 95128

Fairgrounds Senior Housing Apartments

2555 Corde Terra Cir, San Jose, California 95111

Kings Crossing

678 N King Rd, San Jose, California 95133

Laurel Grove

298 LAUREL GROVE LN, San Jose, California 95126

Casa de Novo

2188 THE ALAMEDA, San Jose, California 95126

Northside Senior Housing

270 E Empire St, San Jose, California 95112

Thornbridge Apartments ( the Gardens )

5150 Monterey Hwy, San Jose, California 95111

Siena at Renaissance ( the Enclave )

4355 Renaissance Dr, San Jose, California 95134

Ohlone Court Apartments

5225 Terner Way, San Jose, California 95136

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 971,265 people living in 328,759 households.

There are 406,580 renters living in 147,189 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 344,995 housing units in the San Jose area. Of these, 156,535 units are rental homes, making up 45 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Jose, California, there are 1 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 many renter households in San Jose are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 24 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 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 18,084
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 2,836
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 24
Section 236 Rental Assistance 7
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 151
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 69
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.