What is the median rent in San Luis Obispo, CA?

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

The median gross rent in San Luis Obispo, CA is $1,965 (±$82) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 11,973 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In San Luis Obispo, the median gross rent went from $1,575 in 2015–2019 to $1,965 in 2020–2024 (+24.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,965 (±$82)
Rented homes: 11,973 (±634)
$2,000 or more: 48.5%
Since 2015–2019: +24.8%

How much rent costs in San Luis Obispo

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo County	California	United States
Less than $500	2.3% (±1.1 points)	2.7%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	5.3% (±1.4 points)	5.3%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	21.2% (±3.4 points)	18.4%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	22.7% (±3.3 points)	23.9%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	22.2% (±3.1 points)	23.6%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	7.9% (±1.8 points)	11.9%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	18.4% (±2.8 points)	14.1%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 22.7% of renting households.

48.5% of rented homes in San Luis Obispo cost $2,000 or more a month.

San Luis Obispo against San Luis Obispo County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$1,965 (±$82)	$1,992 (±$45)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	11,973 (±634)	39,471 (±1,100)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In San Luis Obispo, median gross rent is not measurably different from San Luis Obispo County ($1,992).

It is not measurably different from California ($2,036).

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

In San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo ranks 9 of 17 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 434 of 1,010.

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

How rent in San Luis Obispo 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	$1,575 (±$52)	$1,965 (±$82)	+24.8%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	61.2% (±1.8 points)	59.7% (±2.0 points)	−1.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	4.1% (±1.8 points)	4.5% (±2.0 points)	+0.4 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 San Luis Obispo

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with San Luis Obispo
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
San Luis Obispo	—	$1,965 (±$82)	—
Avila Beach	5.5 mi	$1,878 (±$454)	Not measurably different
Pismo Beach	7.8 mi	$2,232 (±$320)	Not measurably different
Los Osos	9.2 mi	$2,047 (±$198)	Not measurably different
Grover Beach	10 mi	$2,061 (±$102)	Not measurably different
Arroyo Grande	11 mi	$2,173 (±$169)	Higher
Oceano	12 mi	$1,584 (±$628)	Not measurably different
Morro Bay	13 mi	$1,858 (±$93)	Not measurably different
Atascadero	15 mi	$1,854 (±$83)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Arroyo Grande, CA ($2,173).

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

Median gross rent across San Luis Obispo County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
3	Pismo Beach	$2,232 (±$320)
4	Arroyo Grande	$2,173 (±$169)
5	Nipomo	$2,106 (±$167)
6	Grover Beach	$2,061 (±$102)
7	Los Osos	$2,047 (±$198)
8	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)	$1,981 (±$163)
9	San Luis Obispo	$1,965 (±$82)
10	Cambria	$1,924 (±$332)
11	Avila Beach	$1,878 (±$454)
12	Morro Bay	$1,858 (±$93)
13	Atascadero	$1,854 (±$83)
14	Lake Nacimiento	$1,793 (±$515)
15	San Miguel (San Luis Obispo County)	$1,791 (±$490)

Showing 13 of 17 places in San Luis Obispo 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.

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Questions about San Luis Obispo

What is the average rent in San Luis Obispo, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in San Luis Obispo is $1,965 (±$82) 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 San Luis Obispo?

In San Luis Obispo, the median gross rent went from $1,575 in 2015–2019 to $1,965 in 2020–2024 (+24.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in San Luis Obispo cost more than $2,000 a month?

48.5% of rented homes in San Luis Obispo have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 2.3% cost less than $500.

Is rent in San Luis Obispo higher than in San Luis Obispo County?

In San Luis Obispo, median gross rent is not measurably different from San Luis Obispo County ($1,992).

It is not measurably different from 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 San Luis Obispo city, California (place:68154, 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.