What is the median rent in Costa Mesa, CA?

Name: Median rent in Costa Mesa, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Costa Mesa, CA is $2,446 (±$39) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 25,188 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Costa Mesa, the median gross rent went from $1,857 in 2015–2019 to $2,446 in 2020–2024 (+31.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $2,446 (±$39)
Rented homes: 25,188 (±1,000)
$2,000 or more: 77.5%
Since 2015–2019: +31.7%

How much rent costs in Costa Mesa

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Costa Mesa	Orange County	California	United States
Less than $500	1.7% (±0.8 points)	2.4%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	3.2% (±1.2 points)	2.6%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	5.1% (±1.7 points)	6.7%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	12.5% (±1.8 points)	16.0%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	30.7% (±2.7 points)	25.6%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	18.9% (±2.2 points)	18.7%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	27.9% (±2.3 points)	27.9%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $2,000 to $2,499, paid by 30.7% of renting households.

77.5% of rented homes in Costa Mesa cost $2,000 or more a month.

Costa Mesa against Orange County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Costa Mesa	Orange County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$2,446 (±$39)	$2,434 (±$13)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	25,188 (±1,000)	459,675 (±4,130)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In Costa Mesa, median gross rent is not measurably different from Orange County ($2,434).

It is also higher than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Orange County, Costa Mesa ranks 24 of 40 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 219 of 1,010.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Costa Mesa has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,857 (±$25)	$2,446 (±$39)	+31.7%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	61.7% (±1.3 points)	60.4% (±1.8 points)	−1.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	3.0% (±1.0 points)	4.3% (±1.3 points)	+1.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Costa Mesa

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Costa Mesa
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Costa Mesa	—	$2,446 (±$39)	—
Fountain Valley	3.8 mi	$2,631 (±$134)	Higher
Newport Beach	4.9 mi	$3,316 (±$90)	Higher
Santa Ana	5.2 mi	$2,082 (±$31)	Lower
Huntington Beach	5.7 mi	$2,510 (±$50)	Higher
Midway City	6.9 mi	$1,611 (±$199)	Lower
Tustin	7.4 mi	$2,449 (±$57)	Not measurably different
Westminster	7.6 mi	$2,168 (±$64)	Lower
Irvine	8.2 mi	$2,997 (±$51)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Santa Ana, CA ($2,082), Midway City, CA ($1,611), Westminster, CA ($2,168).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Fountain Valley, CA ($2,631), Newport Beach, CA ($3,316), Huntington Beach, CA ($2,510).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
18	Rancho Santa Margarita	$2,625 (±$120)
19	Huntington Beach	$2,510 (±$50)
20	Cypress	$2,483 (±$104)
21	North Tustin	$2,462 (±$197)
22	San Clemente	$2,460 (±$118)
23	Tustin	$2,449 (±$57)
24	Costa Mesa	$2,446 (±$39)
25	San Juan Capistrano	$2,438 (±$197)
26	Brea	$2,397 (±$82)
27	Placentia	$2,388 (±$84)
28	Los Alamitos	$2,365 (±$80)
29	Laguna Woods	$2,328 (±$70)
30	Orange	$2,327 (±$50)

Showing 13 of 40 places in Orange County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Costa Mesa

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Costa Mesa, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Costa Mesa beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Costa Mesa, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Costa Mesa

What is the average rent in Costa Mesa, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Costa Mesa is $2,446 (±$39) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Costa Mesa?

In Costa Mesa, the median gross rent went from $1,857 in 2015–2019 to $2,446 in 2020–2024 (+31.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Costa Mesa cost more than $2,000 a month?

77.5% of rented homes in Costa Mesa have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 1.7% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Costa Mesa higher than in Orange County?

In Costa Mesa, median gross rent is not measurably different from Orange County ($2,434).

It is also higher than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Costa Mesa city, California (place:16532, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.