Santa Cruz County, California Fair Market Rent 2026

The FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Santa Cruz County is $4,214 per month, 150% above the $1,687 median across California. This is the figure HUD gives your housing authority when it decides how much a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher covers here.

FY2026 Fair Market Rents by Bedroom Size

Gross rent, including tenant-paid utilities other than phone, cable, and internet.

Studio
$3,179
per month
1 Bedroom
$3,298
per month
2 Bedrooms
$4,214
per month
3 Bedrooms
$5,377
per month
4 Bedrooms
$5,659
per month
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What you would actually pay in Santa Cruz County

With a Housing Choice Voucher you contribute about 30% of your adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities. The housing authority pays the rest, up to its payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of the Fair Market Rent shown above.

For a two-bedroom in Santa Cruz County, that puts the likely payment standard somewhere between $3,793 and $4,635 per month. Confirm the exact figure with the authority issuing your voucher before signing a lease, since anything above the payment standard comes out of your own pocket.

Affording this rent without a voucher

Renting a two-bedroom in California at 30% of income takes an hourly wage of $49.61 working full time, or about $103,189 a year. At the state minimum wage of $16.50, that is 121 hours a week.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2025 (statewide figure).

Housing authorities serving Santa Cruz County

These agencies issue vouchers and run the waiting lists for this county. Payment standards are set by the authority, not by HUD.

All California Fair Market Rents California Waiting Lists

For FY2026, the Fair Market Rent in Santa Cruz County is $3,179 for a studio, $3,298 for one bedroom, $4,214 for two bedrooms, $5,377 for three bedrooms, and $5,659 for four bedrooms, per month.

The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Santa Cruz County is $4,214, compared with a statewide median of $1,687 across California. That is 150% above the median.

Not necessarily. The Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate, but the housing authority serving Santa Cruz County sets its own payment standard between 90% and 110% of that figure. Your voucher covers the difference between roughly 30% of your adjusted monthly income and the payment standard. If the unit rents for more than the payment standard, you pay the excess yourself.

1 housing authority serves Santa Cruz County. Applications go through the housing authority, not HUD, and each one runs its own waiting list with its own opening schedule. The authorities serving this county are listed on this page.

Source: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026 · huduser.gov

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, familial status, gender, and disability. The Fair Housing Act ensures that all persons receive equal housing opportunity. For more information about the Fair Housing Act and your rights, visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development .