Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Santa Barbara, CA

Discover affordable housing in Santa Barbara where there are 32+ 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.

Presidio Park Apartments

420-24 E. D La Guerra Street #24, Santa Barbara, California 93101

El Carrillo Apartments

315 W Carrillo St, Santa Barbara, California 93101

Paseo Voluntario

309-319 Voluntario St, Santa Barbara, California 93103

Eleanor Apartments

518 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, California 93103

Transition House - Salinas Street

320 S Salinas St, Santa Barbara, California 93103

De La Vina Frail Seniors ( Reapp 97 - 233 )

1116 DE La Vina St, Santa Barbara, California 93101

El Patio Community Housing

4007 Via Lucero, Santa Barbara, California 93110

Cottage Gardens Apartments

227 W DE La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, California 93101

Presidio Gardens

1507 San Pascual St, Santa Barbara, California 93109

Casitas de la Guerra

1022 De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, California 93103

Canyon Croft

739 E Victoria St, Santa Barbara, California 93103

1313 Castillo

1313 Castillo St, Santa Barbara, California 93101

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Santa Barbara, California
$56.70/hour
$40.70 (+254%) more than California minimum wage and $49.45 (+682%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Santa Barbara, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Santa Barbara, 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 programs for Santa Barbara, California.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Family Unification Program (FUP) programs for Santa Barbara, California.

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

How many renters live in Santa Barbara, California?

The City of Santa Barbara has 87,519 people living in 36,602 households.

There are 51,958 renters living in 22,968 renter households in this City. Renters make up 59.37 percent of the population living in Santa Barbara.

What is the rental market like in Santa Barbara, California?

There are an estimated 38,678 housing units in the Santa Barbara area. Of these, 22,022 units are rental homes, making up 57 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Santa Barbara, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Santa Barbara?

The rental vacancy rate in Santa Barbara is 2 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 Santa Barbara for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Barbara
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,413 7,090 8,244 2,813 753
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Barbara

A large number of apartments in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 32 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 Santa Barbara

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,330 to $4,528. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,330
One BR $2,651
Two BR $2,994
Three BR $3,996
Four BR $4,528
2024 Fair Market Rents in Santa Barbara, California

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

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 1,070 44 percent
One BR 1,592 22 percent
Two BR 1,162 14 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Santa Barbara, California

How many affordable rental units are in Santa Barbara?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,005
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 124
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 94
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Santa Barbara, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara features 511 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 Santa Barbara, California

There are 971 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Santa Barbara.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Santa Barbara, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Santa Barbara landlords $1,200 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Santa Barbara.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Santa Barbara, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,695 and $3,293.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.