What is the median rent in San Rafael, CA?

Name: Median rent in San Rafael, 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 Rafael, CA is $2,377 (±$73) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 10,629 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In San Rafael, the median gross rent went from $1,937 in 2015–2019 to $2,377 in 2020–2024 (+22.7%).

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: $2,377 (±$73)
Rented homes: 10,629 (±625)
$2,000 or more: 69.8%
Since 2015–2019: +22.7%

How much rent costs in San Rafael

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	San Rafael	Marin County	California	United States
Less than $500	6.7% (±3.3 points)	4.5%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	3.4% (±1.4 points)	4.0%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	5.9% (±1.9 points)	5.7%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	14.1% (±2.8 points)	10.4%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	26.3% (±3.8 points)	20.9%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	15.1% (±2.7 points)	13.4%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	28.4% (±4.0 points)	41.1%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $3,000 or more, paid by 28.4% of renting households.

69.8% of rented homes in San Rafael cost $2,000 or more a month.

San Rafael against Marin County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	San Rafael	Marin County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$2,377 (±$73)	$2,668 (±$83)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	10,629 (±625)	35,186 (±1,134)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In San Rafael, median gross rent is lower than in Marin County ($2,668).

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

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

In Marin County, San Rafael ranks 16 of 20 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 245 of 1,010.

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

How rent in San Rafael 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	$1,937 (±$63)	$2,377 (±$73)	+22.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	50.0% (±1.9 points)	47.0% (±2.2 points)	−3.0 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	3.8% (±2.0 points)	1.9% (±1.2 points)	−1.9 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 Rafael

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with San Rafael
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
San Rafael	—	$2,377 (±$73)	—
Larkspur	3.1 mi	$3,001 (±$204)	Higher
Ross	3.2 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Corte Madera	3.4 mi	$3,500 or more	—
San Anselmo	3.4 mi	$2,797 (±$327)	Higher
Kentfield	4.2 mi	$2,741 (±$374)	Not measurably different
Fairfax	4.8 mi	$2,367 (±$233)	Not measurably different
Mill Valley	5.4 mi	$3,278 (±$682)	Higher
Lucas Valley-Marinwood	5.6 mi	$3,500 or more	—

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Larkspur, CA ($3,001), San Anselmo, CA ($2,797), Mill Valley, CA ($3,278).

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

Median gross rent across Marin County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
10	Larkspur	$3,001 (±$204)
11	Strawberry	$2,958 (±$413)
12	San Anselmo	$2,797 (±$327)
13	Kentfield	$2,741 (±$374)
14	Novato	$2,506 (±$127)
15	Lagunitas-Forest Knolls	$2,387 (±$1,961)
16	San Rafael	$2,377 (±$73)
17	Fairfax	$2,367 (±$233)
18	Bolinas	$1,924 (±$951)
19	Inverness	$1,829 (±$879)
20	Marin City	$1,335 (±$217)

Showing 11 of 20 places in Marin 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 Rafael

What is the average rent in San Rafael, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in San Rafael is $2,377 (±$73) 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 Rafael?

In San Rafael, the median gross rent went from $1,937 in 2015–2019 to $2,377 in 2020–2024 (+22.7%).

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 Rafael cost more than $2,000 a month?

69.8% of rented homes in San Rafael have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 6.7% cost less than $500.

Is rent in San Rafael higher than in Marin County?

In San Rafael, median gross rent is lower than in Marin County ($2,668).

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 San Rafael city, California (place:68364, 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.