Do you know the way to San Jose? I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way. Do you know the way to San Jose? I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose." (Burt Bacharach - Do You Know The Way").
It doesn’t take a Google search to find a crazy-cool city to call home in this state
Do you know the way to San Jose? I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way. Do you know the way to San Jose? I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose." (Burt Bacharach - Do You Know The Way").
It doesn’t take a Google search to find a crazy-cool city to call home in this state. Just pick a place that begins with San (you won’t be disappointed by any of ‘em), pack your bags (must-haves include sunscreen and a Diccionario Inglés-Español), and come on down. Arguably the sultriest San of all, the so-called “capital of Silicon Valley” is primo living for Left Coast leasers aiming to join one of Cali’s most diverse and eclectic mega-communities. Sound like your cup ‘o’ tea? Then stick with us. We’ll have you ballin’ in the south Bay in two shakes of a high-tech stick.
Having trouble with Craigslist San Jose? Can't find that special apartment for rent on Apartment Finder or Zillow? Apartment List is here to help!
Perched on the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay and circumscribed by the majestic Santa Cruz Mountains, San Jose is unarguably one of NoCal’s most aesthetically pleasing stomping grounds. But life in the hub of the Silicon Valley is about more than postcard-perfect vistas. A few facts about SJ life that might help make your migration easy breezy include the following:
Brains: High-tech engineering and computing conglomerates (hence, the chemical moniker “silicon”) dominate the economy as well as conversation, so brush up on your geek-speak before arriving. Also, bring your entrepreneur’s hat: San Jose witnesses more U.S. patent applications than any other American city, and the proximity of such genius-factories as Stanford and Berkeley only serves to further qualify this corridor as one of the smartest regions in the world.
Fun-ness: Sister-city San Francisco may be the City that Knows How, but when it comes to entertainment, San Jose is no slouch. Can you say… “Parks and gardens”? How about “trails”? “Festival grounds”? “Sporting events”? Shopping centers? Sidewalk-surfing hotspots? Museums? Theaters? Nightlife venues? Okay you get it: even those for whom “bored to death” is a frequent tweet aren’t likely to suffer from SJ-induced ennui. The bottom line here is to make sure you have a disposable income (and some tight pants).
Apartments: This housing market’s got its junk together. That means you ought to expect standardized options, such as lease length (6 months to a year), deposit ($350 and up, according to montly rent), pet-friendliness (small-uns, sure; big-uns, not usually), an application criteria (credit report, references, etc.; do yourself a favor and make an archive of copies of these documents to hand out at open houses).
Logistics-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named: Harry Potter XVI isn’t the only blockbuster with one of these in the cast list. One by one:
Do you need a car? Yes, unless you attend SJSU and don’t plan on leaving campus or downtown except to go to San Fran. Expect to pay for parking at an apartment complex in the downtown/SJSU areas.
What if I don’t own a car and actually enjoy looking down on all you fossil-fuel-enslaved suckas? The City of San Jose has a passable bus system and CalTrain gets you anywhere along the Bay. We hear the crowded bus platform, particularly as you heave your month’s worth of Trader Joe’s groceries onto it, is a fabulous place to practice nose-snubbing.
Is SJ “affordable”? For the nearsighted in the crowd, those are quotations. Around the word affordable. Why? Because the cost of living is relative. SJ is inexpensive compared to Beverly Hills, but expensive compared to Duluth, Minnesota. Expect to pay Northern California prices and taxes. ‘Nuff said.
How likely is an earthquake? Puh-leeease. You know the answer to that one. Earthquake-preparedness is gauged not in likelihood, but in possibility. You might need renter’s insurance, depending on the complex. You’ll certainly need a “go bag,” which contains essentials such as a headlamp or flashlight, bottled water, first-aid kit, pocket knife, local map, and other emergency items. (If you really want to get crazy, the City of San Francisco has created a helpful website with heaps more info.
Ahoy, mateskis! In SJ, neighborhoods are like sea creatures. (Wasn’t that a line from Shrek?) Regardless, climb on into the SeaGazer 3000, our patented vehicular contraption for examining the curious sea life of the San Francisco Bay—and the worth-checking-out locales of SJ.
Behold, the mighty octopus! Downtown San Jose is a multi-faceted area, combining a studenty university feel with an urban skyline vibe. You may get inked after 3am on a weekend, but if you play nice this neighborhood will awe your friends and keep you in style. Rent range in this sector is just as eight-sided as its cultural appeal: luxury condos can start at $1500/month, but one might also find a room share in a student house for under $600/month. (It all depends on how you define “spacious.”)
Next, ladies and gents, cast your attention toward the elegant swordfish. Luna Park & Hyde Park present sophisticated alternatives to downtown residency. Commute times from these neighborhoods are as slim as the swordfish’s muzzle (and cocktail lounges as curvy as its… fins?). Heaps of townhouses and vintage buildings glut this market with 2BRs, which drives the prices down (expect around $1200/month for a 2BR townhome) if you’re into roommates. If you’re not into roommates, expect to drop $1400/month on a (luxury) single.
Perhaps the most eclectic area in SJ is Midtown. It ranges from the prickly blowfish district of Burbank to the old wealth neighborhood Willow Glen, akin to those elderly sea turtles from Finding Nemo (classic, but surfer dudes at core). If you’re keen on the scene, you’ll likely gravitate toward Burbank. That said, studios and 1BRs near Santana Row will still cost ya over $1000/month. On the other hand, if you love that polished look (check out the decorations on Lincoln Ave. at Christmastime if you need a refresher), settle in a 2BR/1BA brick townhome for between $1400 and $1800/month.
Folks love to ooh and ahh at the deepwater sea urchins. “Further out” San Jose usually means no further than Campbell, a cute, family-oriented district on the Los Gatos Creek bike path. One is more likely to purchase rather than rent in this corner of the South Bay, but young professionals can still find decent apartment living in “West SJ.” House shares run around $600-800/month and 1BRs over $1000/month. Beware that most of your neighbor urchins spend their workweek commuting to shallower waters, so finding community on Monday-Thursday might mean getting tea with the housekeepers. Watch yer fingers as we chug-a-lug back to the dock here, folks. Thanks for joining us on our brief voyage—we hope something caught your fancy. If not, strap on them flippers and snorkel about on your own. There’s no better way to find an apartment than to remember that adage your granny taught you: “Search the interwebs, silly!”
The representation of ethnic minorities in San Jose is higher than the national average. The eight main ethnic groups that make up the population of San Jose are Asian (38.8%), Hispanic Or Latino (30.6%), White (22.6%), Two Or More (3.8%), Black Or African American (2.9%), Other (0.5%), Native Hawaiian Or Other Pacific Islander (0.5%), and American Indian Or Alaska Native (0.2%).
The representation of ethnic minorities in San Jose is higher than the national average. The eight main ethnic groups that make up the population of San Jose are Asian (38.8%), Hispanic Or Latino (30.6%), White (22.6%), Two Or More (3.8%), Black Or African American (2.9%), Other (0.5%), Native Hawaiian Or Other Pacific Islander (0.5%), and American Indian Or Alaska Native (0.2%).
Apartment List has released the results for San Jose from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters nationwide, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of the country’s 111 million renters.
These San Jose neighborhoods are insanely popular right now! Renters are hunting down properties in these places.
Searching for an apartment for rent in San Jose, CA? Look no further! Apartment List will help you find a perfect apartment near you. There are 213 available rental units listed on Apartment List in San Jose. Click on listings to see photos, floorplans, amenities, prices and availability, and much more!
The average rent in San Jose is $2,489 for a studio, $2,915 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $3,688 for a two-bedroom apartment. If you are looking for a deal, keep an eye out for a red pulsing icon that indicates rent specials.
Tired of browsing? Take our personalized quiz. You’ll answer a couple of simple questions and we’ll put together a list of San Jose apartments that are best for you. We’ll also factor in your commute, budget, and preferred amenities. Looking for a pet-friendly rental, or an apartment with in-unit washer and dryer? No problem, we’ll provide you with apartments that match that criteria.
You can trust Apartment List to help you find your next San Jose, CA apartment rental! After all, everyone deserves a home they love.
Welcome to the Apartment List February 2025 Rent Report for San Jose, CA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $2,781, roughly the same as last month. Prices and are now up 3.0% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the San Jose rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader San Jose metro area and the nation as a whole.
The median rent in San Jose rose by 0.3% over the course of January, and has now increased by a total of 3.0% over the past 12 months. San Jose’s rent growth over the past year has has outpaced both state (1.2%) and national (-0.5%) averages.
San Jose rents went up 0.3% in the past month, compared to the national rate of -0.2%. Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #27. Similar monthly rent growth took place in Anaheim, CA (0.3%) and Lincoln, NE (0.3%).
Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $2,420 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $2,871 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $2,781. That ranks #2 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities.
For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,203 for a 1-bedroom, $1,356 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,370 overall. The median rent in San Jose is 103.0% higher than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Irvine, CA ($3,036) and San Francisco, CA ($2,752).
If we expand our view to the wider San Jose metro area, the median rent is $2,899 meaning that the median price in San Jose proper ($2,781) is 4.1% lower than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at 3.4%, above the rate of rent growth within just the city.
The table below shows the latest rent stats for 5 cities in the San Jose metro area that are included in our database. Among them, Sunnyvale is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $3,106. San Jose is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $2,781. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Sunnyvale (5.6%) while the slowest is in Milpitas (1.1%).
You can also use the map below to explore the latest rent trends in the San Jose metropolitan area.
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.
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.
Welcome to the Apartment List February 2025 Rent Report for San Jose, CA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $2,781, roughly the same as last month. Prices and are now up 3.0% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the San Jose rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader San Jose metro area and the nation as a whole.
Apartment List has released San Jose’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.
"San Jose renters expressed general dissatisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "Some categories received average scores, and many received below average scores."
Key findings in San Jose include the following:
Renters say:
For more information on the survey methodology and findings or to speak to one of our researchers, please contact our team at rentonomics@apartmentlist.com.
Do you know the way to San Jose? I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way. Do you know the way to San Jose? I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose." (Burt Bacharach - Do You Know The Way").
It doesn’t take a Google search to find a crazy-cool city to call home in this state
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