Updated September 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List data as of August 2026.
According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Santa Monica is $2,383 as of August 2026, with one-bedrooms at $2,255 and two-bedrooms at $2,704. That is 71% above the national median of $1,390. Rents are falling, down 3.44% year over year and 1.38% in the past month alone.
Rent here also sits below where it was before the pandemic, down 6.22% over that span. Add the estimated electricity and grocery costs to the median one-bedroom and an illustrative solo budget starts around $2,895 a month before water, sewer, gas, transit, internet, insurance, parking, or anything discretionary.
Rent anchors this guide, and the advertised price covers one part of the monthly bill. The figures below set a starting range for Santa Monica.
| Budget item | Benchmark | Planning assumption |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent, all apartment sizes | $2,383/mo (Apartment List, August 2026) | Citywide median |
| One-bedroom median rent | $2,255/mo (Apartment List, August 2026) | Full unit rent |
| Two-bedroom median rent | $2,704/mo (Apartment List, August 2026) | Full unit rent |
| Difference, one- to two-bedroom | $449/mo (derived from Apartment List, August 2026) | Full unit, not per renter |
| Two-bedroom split equally | About $1,352 each (derived from Apartment List, August 2026) | Two renters, equal split |
| Electricity | About $200/mo on the city default (CPA and SCE, July 2026) | 500 kWh; three cheaper supply options below |
| Water and sewer | Billed by the City of Santa Monica | See below; no figure published |
| Public transit | $1.25/ride, $55/mo (Big Blue Bus, 2026) | Big Blue Bus only; $110 regional pass |
| Groceries | About $440/mo (USDA, July 2026) | One adult, moderate-cost plan, national |
Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates. Calculated rows derive from the cited bedroom medians. The electricity row uses the fixed planning basket described below.
How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.
Stacked together, the one-bedroom median plus the estimated electricity and grocery costs come to about $2,895 a month for a solo renter.
That total is illustrative, and it leaves out water, sewer, gas, transit, internet, insurance, parking, and anything discretionary.
The median one-bedroom rent in Santa Monica is $2,255 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $2,704 and the all-sizes median is $2,383.
Rents are coming down, and faster here than nationally. The citywide median fell 3.44% year over year against a national decline of 0.76%, and dropped another 1.38% in the most recent month.
The longer view runs the same direction. Measured against its pre-pandemic level, Santa Monica rent is down 6.22%, so the median today sits below where it stood before 2020.
The monthly and annual figures cover different periods, and the twelve-month change is the steadier of the two. What these figures do not tell you is what any specific building is offering right now, so ask each one directly about concessions, fees, and the move-in total.
The city median also sits above the median for the wider Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, $2,383 against $2,200, a difference of about 8%. That gap widens by unit size: one-bedrooms run about 19% above the metro figure and two-bedrooms about 15%. All of it is a comparison between a city and the larger area containing it, and nothing more. It does not tell you that suburbs price lower, that moving inland saves money, or which direction from the coast is cheaper.
In Santa Monica a two-bedroom runs $449 more than a one-bedroom at the median, or about 19.9% above the one-bedroom figure (Apartment List, August 2026).
Sharing is worth pricing out here, and the figure that settles it is the split itself: two renters at $1,352 each against $2,255 for a solo one-bedroom, a difference of $903 a month.
One other thing about this market: a one-bedroom at $2,255 sits only about 5% below the all-sizes median of $2,383. Those two figures are close enough that moving from a typical unit down to a one-bedroom saves around $128 a month.
| City | Median rent, all sizes (Apartment List, August 2026) | Compared with Santa Monica |
|---|---|---|
| Pasadena, CA | $2,514 | $131 more |
| Santa Monica, CA | $2,383 | — |
| Glendale, CA | $2,148 | $235 less |
| Burbank, CA | $2,091 | $292 less |
| Los Angeles, CA | $2,075 | $308 less |
| Long Beach, CA | $1,795 | $588 less |
| United States | $1,390 | $993 less |
All figures are Apartment List medians as of August 2026, and every gap here is wide enough to be stable.
Santa Monica is not the most expensive city in this set. Pasadena sits $131 above it. But it runs $308 above the city of Los Angeles and $588 above Long Beach, and $993 above the national median. Within California the state median is $2,246, so Santa Monica sits above that too.
Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $2,255, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $90,200 in annual gross income.
The arithmetic: $2,255 x 12 / 0.30 = about $90,200 in annual gross income.
The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable. HUD's version includes utilities. This one counts rent by itself, which puts it below the real cost of housing here.
This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate. California does tax wage income, which matters at this salary level more than it would in a no-income-tax state.
Treat $90,200 as a planning benchmark, not a salary requirement or a screening rule. Sharing changes the arithmetic sharply here: the shared figure further down is $54,080, less than two thirds of it.
Start from what you earn:
On a $90,000 salary that is about $2,250 a month, which lands just under Santa Monica's $2,255 median one-bedroom. On $110,000 it is about $2,750. On $75,000 it is about $1,875, which sits well below the median one-bedroom, so a solo unit at the median would run above the benchmark at that income.
The arithmetic also runs the other way if you are looking at a specific listing. Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 0.30 to see the income it implies: a $2,500 listing points to about $100,000, and a $2,000 listing to about $80,000.
Run it against the medians and you get the income each unit size lines up with. At the 30% planning benchmark, Santa Monica's $2,255 one-bedroom median corresponds to about $90,200 in annual gross income. The $2,704 two-bedroom median corresponds to about $108,160 (Apartment List, August 2026). Split equally between two renters, the $1,352 share corresponds to about $54,080 each.
Run the number before you tour, not after. Then check it against the Apartment List Rent Calculator, which works from your actual income and debts instead of a flat percentage. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee.
Santa Monica splits electricity between two organizations, and which combination you are on changes the bill.
Clean Power Alliance supplies the electricity itself. Southern California Edison delivers it, owns the meter, and sends you the bill. CPA began serving Santa Monica in 2019, and this is one of the cities where its default plan is 100% Green Power. The city reports that as of 2025, about 95% of Santa Monica residents and businesses got 100% renewable energy through CPA. If you do nothing, that is the plan you are on.
CPA and Edison publish a joint rate comparison, which puts the four options side by side on the residential Domestic schedule. At 500 kWh a month:
| Supply option | Total per kWh | At 500 kWh |
|---|---|---|
| CPA 100% Green Power (the city default) | $0.40019 | About $200 |
| Southern California Edison, opt out of CPA entirely | $0.37392 | About $187 |
| CPA Clean Power, 50% renewable | $0.37392 | About $187 |
| CPA Lean Power, 40% renewable | $0.36641 | About $183 |
The default is the most expensive of the four, so getting the lowest bill means actively changing it. Moving to Lean Power saves about $17 a month at this usage. Leaving CPA for Edison entirely lands at $187, above Lean Power, because Edison's higher generation rate outweighs the surcharges you would avoid by going. And Edison and CPA's 50% option price identically at $0.37392, so the choice between those two comes down to where the power is generated.
The delivery charge is $0.25631 per kWh whichever supply you pick, about 64% of the default bill. That part is not a choice.
Treat these as close estimates. The joint comparison works its rates out against Edison's 2025 usage profiles at about 523 kWh a month, so applying them at exactly 500 kWh gets you a planning number. Taxes and fees apply on top.
The City of Santa Monica supplies water and bills wastewater.
In most apartments water and sewer come bundled into rent or split across the building rather than billed to you directly, which is why no figure appears here. Ask which applies at a specific address, and if they are billed to you, ask for recent amounts.
This page does not model gas. Ask whether a specific unit has gas appliances or gas heat, and if it does, ask who is billed for them.
Big Blue Bus is the city's own transit system. A regular fare is $1.25 with a TAP card, mobile ticket, or contactless card, or $1.50 in cash. A day pass is $4.50, a 7-day pass is $16, and a 30-day pass is $55. One Big Blue Bus transfer within two hours is included. Seniors, riders with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders pay $0.60 with TAP and $27 for 30 days.
The thing to check before you rely on that $55 is whether your commute stays on Big Blue Bus. Los Angeles Metro also serves Santa Monica, including the E Line, and Metro fares are separate. If you need both, the regional EZ Transit Pass is $110 a month. That is the figure to budget if your trip crosses agencies.
The USDA Moderate-Cost Food Plan puts groceries for a single adult at about $440 a month, based on the July 2026 monthly cost of food report. That's a national benchmark rather than a Santa Monica number, so treat it as a starting point and adjust it for how much you cook against how often you eat out.
| Housing arrangement | Monthly rent per renter | Rent-only income benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom, paid on your own | $2,255 (Apartment List, August 2026) | $90,200 |
| Two-bedroom, split equally | About $1,352 (Apartment List, August 2026) | $54,080 |
Splitting a two-bedroom equally costs about $903 a month less per renter than paying for a one-bedroom on your own, before utilities and fees.
Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates. The shared figure assumes two renters splitting the median two-bedroom rent equally. Income figures are approximate planning benchmarks at 30% of gross income, rent only.
The income the benchmark points to drops by roughly $36,120 a year between those two rows. At Santa Monica rents, that is the difference between needing a $90,200 salary and needing $54,080.
Ask the property for its total move-in amount in writing before paying anything. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee, so every fee you are checking for belongs to the property.
Run your actual numbers first. The Apartment List Rent Calculator sets a ceiling from your income and debts, and Rate My Rent grades a specific listing against comparable nearby apartments on rent, square footage, and amenities. That grade is a starting point for questions to ask the building, not a verdict on the unit.
Several nearby cities price well below Santa Monica while staying on the same transit and job corridors. Long Beach sits $588 under it, and Los Angeles $308.
If you are moving in from somewhere else, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Santa Monica. It asks for monthly household income after taxes, which is a different input than the gross-income benchmark used above.
Santa Monica's $2,383 median runs 71% above the national figure, and the electricity default adds to it: the city defaults to Clean Power Alliance's 100% Green Power plan, the most expensive of the four supply options, at about $200 a month for 500 kWh. Moving to the 40% plan brings that closer to $183, and the Edison delivery charge is the same whichever you choose.
Browse Santa Monica apartments and start comparing real listings.
| Data point | Source | Geography | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent, all sizes ($2,383) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Median one-bedroom rent ($2,255) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Median two-bedroom rent ($2,704) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Year-over-year change (-3.44%) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Month-over-month change (-1.38%) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Pandemic-era change (-6.22%) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Santa Monica, CA (city) | August 2026 |
| Metro median ($2,200) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (metro) | August 2026 |
| Metro medians by unit size (1BR $1,890, 2BR $2,357) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (metro) | August 2026 |
| California median ($2,246) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | California (state) | August 2026 |
| National median ($1,390), change (-0.76% YoY) | Apartment List Rent Estimates | United States | August 2026 |
Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, which uses a same-unit, repeat-transaction analysis.
Income figures are calculations based on the cited Apartment List rent medians and the 30% rent-to-income benchmark, not measured income data.
The $2,895 monthly planning total is illustrative, combining the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity estimate on the city's default supply plan and the grocery benchmark listed in the At-a-Glance table above. Electricity assumes 500 kWh a month at the default total rate from the July 2026 joint CPA and Edison comparison, which itself works its rates out against Edison's 2025 usage profiles at about 523 kWh, and excludes taxes and fees. The total excludes water, sewer, gas, transit, internet, renter's insurance, parking, debt payments, and anything discretionary.
The $2,895 total is defined as: median one-bedroom rent, plus electricity at 500 kWh on the Clean Power Alliance 100% Green Power default plan, plus the national one-adult grocery benchmark. It excludes water, sewer, gas, transit, and all taxes and fees on utility bills. The electricity component would be about $17 lower on the cheapest available supply plan. Population basis: rent and electricity are priced for one unit, and the grocery benchmark is one adult.
The median all-sizes rent in Santa Monica is $2,383 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, with one-bedrooms at $2,255 and two-bedrooms at $2,704. Apartment List reports a median rather than an average because a median better represents a typical apartment and is less distorted by a handful of luxury units.
Yes. Santa Monica's $2,383 all-sizes median runs 71% above the national median of $1,390 as of August 2026 (Apartment List). It sits $308 above the city of Los Angeles and $588 above Long Beach, though Pasadena runs $131 higher still.
Down, and faster than the country as a whole. Santa Monica rents fell 3.44% year over year as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, against a national decline of 0.76%, and dropped another 1.38% in the most recent month. Measured against its pre-pandemic level the median is down 6.22%. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking or offering.
About $449 a month, or roughly 20% above the one-bedroom figure. The median one-bedroom is $2,255 and the median two-bedroom is $2,704 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. That is the cost of renting the larger apartment rather than the cost per person: two renters splitting that two-bedroom equally would pay about $1,352 each, roughly $903 less than a solo one-bedroom.
Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $2,255, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $90,200 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement. Sharing changes it substantially: half of the median two-bedroom corresponds to about $54,080.
It depends which supply plan you are on, and there are four. At 500 kWh a month, the city's default Clean Power Alliance 100% Green Power plan works out to about $200, the 40% Lean Power plan to about $183, and both Southern California Edison's own rate and CPA's 50% plan to about $187, since those two currently price identically. Southern California Edison delivers the power in every case at $0.25631 per kWh, roughly 64% of the default bill. These are approximate planning figures from the jointly published July 2026 rate comparison, before taxes and fees.
No. It is a widely used benchmark, and HUD treats housing costs above 30% of income as cost-burdened. Plenty of renters exceed it. According to Apartment List research, about 51.8% of U.S. renter households are cost-burdened and 26.1% are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing, based on 2024 ACS data. Those are national figures, not Santa Monica-specific.
At the August 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $1,352 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $2,255 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, August 2026), a difference of roughly $903 a month before utilities and fees. That $1,352 share corresponds to about $54,080 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.
In unit laundry, Patio / balcony, Pet friendly, Stainless steel, Walk in closets, Gym + more
In unit laundry, Hardwood floors, Dishwasher, 24hr maintenance, Stainless steel, Walk in closets + more
