Oakland Rent Report: March 2025
Welcome to the Apartment List March 2025 Rent Report for Oakland, CA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,983, roughly the same as last month. Prices remain down 0.2% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Oakland rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader San Francisco metro area and the nation as a whole.
Oakland rents are flat month-over-month and flat year-over-year
The median rent in Oakland rose by 0.3% over the course of February, and has now decreased by a total of 0.2% over the past 12 months. Oakland’s rent growth over the past year has has fallen behind the state average (1.6%) and is similar to the national average (-0.4%).
Oakland rent growth in 2025 pacing above last year
Two months into the year, rents in Oakland have risen 0.3%. This is a faster rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: from January to February 2024 rents had decreased 0.6%.
February rent growth in Oakland ranked #53 among large U.S. cities
Oakland rents went up 0.3% in the past month, compared to the national rate of 0.3%. Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #53. Similar monthly rent growth took place in Baton Rouge, LA (0.3%) and Cleveland, OH (0.3%).
Oakland is the #17 most expensive large city in the U.S., with a median rent of $1,983
Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $1,814 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $2,178 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $1,983. That ranks #17 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities.
For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,208 for a 1-bedroom, $1,361 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,375 overall. The median rent in Oakland is 44.2% higher than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Seattle, WA ($2,026) and Miami, FL ($1,911).
Oakland rents are 22.6% lower than the metro-wide median
If we expand our view to the wider San Francisco metro area, the median rent is $2,561 meaning that the median price in Oakland ($1,983) is 22.6% lower than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at 2.5%, above the rate of rent growth within just the city.
The table below shows the latest rent stats for 16 cities in the San Francisco metro area that are included in our database. Among them, San Mateo is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $3,295. Oakland is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $1,983. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in San Mateo (7.2%) while the slowest is in Daly City (-3.4%).
You can also use the map below to explore the latest rent trends in the San Francisco metropolitan area.
Methodology
Apartment List is committed to the accuracy and transparency of our rent estimates. We begin with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, capturing apartment transactions over time to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country. Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. For more details, please see the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology.
Data Access
Apartment List publishes monthly rent reports and underlying data for hundreds of cities across the nation, as well as data aggregated for counties, metros, and states. These data are intended to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions. Insights from our data are covered regularly by journalists across the country. To access the data yourself, please visit our Data Downloads Page.
