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

Discover affordable housing in Santa Cruz where there are 44+ 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

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

East Cliff Village

1635 Tremont Dr, Santa Cruz, California 95062

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible

Garfield Park Village

721 Bay St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed Studio-2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Jessie Street

314 Jessie Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Ocean Street Apartments

350 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Grace Commons

1041 Cayuga St, Santa Cruz, California 95062

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Casa Linda

1840 Maciel Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability

Gault Street Senior Housing

211 Gault St, Santa Cruz, California 95062

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Monarch Housing Project

2206 40th Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability

Stepping Out Housing

740 N Plymouth St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Seaside Apartments

1380 30th Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062

payment Subsidized

Arbor Cove

84 Blackburn St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Water Street Apartments

708 Water Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 1-2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Cypress Point

101 Felix St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed Studio-2
payment $2792-3904/mo.

1010 Pacific Apartments

1010 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 1-2
payment $1598-3927/mo.

Five55

555 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 1
payment $3050/mo.

1561-1569 7th Ave Unit 1565 7th Avenue

1561-1569 7th Ave Unit 1565 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062

bed 3
payment $4995/mo.

155 Claremont Terrace

155 Claremont Terrace, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 3
payment $4400/mo.

304 Main St

304 Main St, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 3
payment $4500/mo.

2030 N Pacific Ave

2030 N Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95060

bed 1
payment $2500/mo.

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Santa Cruz, 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 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 people living in households.

There are renters living in 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 housing units in the Santa Cruz area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Santa Cruz, California, there are 1.03 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 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
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
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.

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