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

Discover affordable housing in Santa Cruz where there are 30+ 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 Gardens

90 Grandview St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Garfield Park Village

721 Bay St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

East Cliff Village

1635 Tremont Dr, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Jessie Street

314 Jessie Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Ocean Street Apartments

350 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Grace Commons

1041 Cayuga St, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Casa Linda

1840 Maciel Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Gault Street Senior Housing

211 Gault St, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Monarch Housing Project

2206 40th Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Stepping Out Housing

740 N Plymouth St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Seaside Apartments

1380 30th Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Arbor Cove

84 Blackburn St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Water Street Apartments

708 Water Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Riverfront Apartments

148-170 Blaine St., Santa Cruz, California 95060

Tannery Artist Lofts

1030 River St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Neary Lagoon Coop

81 Chestnut St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

La Playa Residential

218 Leibrandt Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Sycamore Street Commons

125 Sycamore St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

1010 Pacific Avenue Apartments

1010 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Nueva Vista

136 Leibrandt Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Santa Cruz, California
$76.78/hour
$60.78 (+380%) more than California minimum wage and $69.53 (+959%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Santa Cruz, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Santa Cruz, 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, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP) programs for Santa Cruz, California.

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

How many renters live in Santa Cruz, California?

The City of Santa Cruz has 61,367 people living in 21,594 households.

There are 25,684 renters living in 11,437 renter households in this City. Renters make up 41.85 percent of the population living in Santa Cruz.

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

There are an estimated 23,749 housing units in the Santa Cruz area. Of these, 11,739 units are rental homes, making up 49 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Santa Cruz, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Santa Cruz?

The rental vacancy rate in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Cruz
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,793 3,267 3,683 1,757 656
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Santa Cruz

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

Among renter households in this market, 51 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 Cruz

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,849 to $5,504. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,849
One BR $3,085
Two BR $4,054
Three BR $5,000
Four BR $5,504
2024 Fair Market Rents in Santa Cruz, California

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

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 779 43 percent
One BR 789 24 percent
Two BR 487 13 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Santa Cruz, California

How many affordable rental units are in Santa Cruz?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 733
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 440
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 9
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 36
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 21
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Santa Cruz, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz features 1,077 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 Cruz, California

There are 800 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Santa Cruz.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Santa Cruz, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Santa Cruz landlords $1,400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Santa Cruz.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Santa Cruz, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,649 and $4,459.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.