SANTA CRUZ, CA
CitySAFMR
Santa Cruz County
Found 6 ZIPs
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$2,760 – $3,950$2,280 – $2,910
1 BR$2,900 – $4,090$2,630 – $3,150
2 BR$3,810 – $5,230$3,330 – $3,920
3 BR$4,740 – $6,670$4,140 – $5,370
4 BR$5,050 – $7,020$4,200 – $6,300
5 BR$6,957
6 BR$8,001
7 BR$9,201
8 BR$10,581

Market Alignment

How HUD fair market rents align with the state of the rental market.

Studio
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.09ratio
FMR$3,180
Market$2,910
vs market+$270

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

Studio· 1 ZIP
1.14ratio
FMR$2,760
Market$2,430
vs market+$330

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

Studio· 1 ZIP
1.32ratio
FMR$3,180
Market$2,400
vs market+$780

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

Studio· 3 ZIPs
1.36–1.73ratio range
Median FMR$3,730
Median Market$2,670
vs market+$1,060

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

3
1.09–1.73
1 BR
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.05ratio
FMR$2,900
Market$2,770
vs market+$130

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.07ratio
FMR$3,290
Market$3,080
vs market+$210

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.19ratio
FMR$3,760
Market$3,150
vs market+$610

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1 BR· 2 ZIPs
1.25–1.27ratio range
Median FMR$3,580
Median Market$2,840
vs market+$740

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

2
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.56ratio
FMR$4,090
Market$2,630
vs market+$1,460

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1.05–1.56
2 BR
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.06ratio
FMR$3,810
Market$3,600
vs market+$210

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.10ratio
FMR$4,210
Market$3,830
vs market+$380

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.13ratio
FMR$4,210
Market$3,740
vs market+$470

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
1.26–1.27ratio range
Median FMR$4,870
Median Market$3,855
vs market+$1,015

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

2
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.57ratio
FMR$5,230
Market$3,330
vs market+$1,900

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1.06–1.57
3 BR
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.83ratio
FMR$4,740
Market$5,690
vs market-$950

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.96ratio
FMR$5,370
Market$5,580
vs market-$210

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.16ratio
FMR$5,370
Market$4,620
vs market+$750

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.30ratio
FMR$6,300
Market$4,860
vs market+$1,440

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.35ratio
FMR$6,120
Market$4,540
vs market+$1,580

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.61ratio
FMR$6,670
Market$4,140
vs market+$2,530

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
0.83–1.61
4 BR
4 BR· 1 ZIP
0.72ratio
FMR$5,050
Market$6,980
vs market-$1,930

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
4 BR· 1 ZIP
0.82ratio
FMR$5,650
Market$6,880
vs market-$1,230

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
4 BR· 1 ZIP
0.97ratio
FMR$5,650
Market$5,810
vs market-$160

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.02ratio
FMR$6,450
Market$6,300
vs market+$150

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.13ratio
FMR$6,630
Market$5,870
vs market+$760

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.67ratio
FMR$7,020
Market$4,200
vs market+$2,820

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
0.72–1.67
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

Voucher alignment varies significantly by bedroom size in this area.

Bedroom curve

Historical
See FMR progression in recent years

Data indexed

FMR
FY2026
Market rent
last ~365 days

ZIP Codes

Ranked by Investment Score (vs area median)

About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for SANTA CRUZ, CA (CA) for FY 2026. Fair Market Rent (FMR) is a HUD benchmark used to determine payment standards for programs like the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program.

Values are shown for 0–4 bedroom units. In some metro areas HUD publishes Small Area FMR (SAFMR) at the ZIP-code level; otherwise the county/metropolitan-area FMR applies. This result is labeled SAFMR based on HUD's designation for the area and the available data.

Tip: use these numbers as a starting point and confirm local program rules (payment standards may differ from HUD's published FMR). If you're comparing neighborhoods, SAFMR ZIP ranges can highlight variation within the same county.