What is the median rent in University of California-Santa Barbara, CA?

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

The median gross rent in University of California-Santa Barbara, CA is $1,526 (±$111) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 594 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,526 (±$111)
Rented homes: 594 (±119)
$2,000 or more: 7.4%

How much rent costs in University of California-Santa Barbara

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	University of California-Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±6.9 points)	3.3%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	7.7% (±4.4 points)	5.1%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	39.9% (±9.0 points)	13.5%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	44.9% (±10.2 points)	22.5%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	1.9% (±2.0 points)	21.5%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	4.7% (±5.4 points)	12.5%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.8% (±1.1 points)	21.6%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 44.9% of renting households.

7.4% of rented homes in University of California-Santa Barbara cost $2,000 or more a month.

University of California-Santa Barbara against Santa Barbara County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	University of California-Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$1,526 (±$111)	$2,131 (±$35)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	594 (±119)	68,572 (±1,303)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In University of California-Santa Barbara, median gross rent is lower than in Santa Barbara County ($2,131).

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

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

In Santa Barbara County, University of California-Santa Barbara ranks 21 of 21 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 705 of 1,010.

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

Median gross rent in places near University of California-Santa Barbara

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with University of California-Santa Barbara
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
University of California-Santa Barbara	—	$1,526 (±$111)	—
Isla Vista	0.9 mi	$1,878 (±$95)	Higher
Goleta	1.4 mi	$2,437 (±$120)	Higher
Eastern Goleta Valley	3.9 mi	$2,964 (±$327)	Higher
Santa Barbara	7.6 mi	$2,413 (±$62)	Higher
Mission Canyon	7.9 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Montecito	12 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Toro Canyon	16 mi	$2,179 (±$861)	Not measurably different
Santa Ynez	20 mi	$1,969 (±$1,359)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Isla Vista, CA ($1,878), Goleta, CA ($2,437), Eastern Goleta Valley, CA ($2,964).

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

Median gross rent across Santa Barbara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
15	Santa Maria	$1,925 (±$50)
16	Isla Vista	$1,878 (±$95)
17	Mission Hills	$1,838 (±$130)
18	Guadalupe	$1,732 (±$110)
19	Solvang	$1,666 (±$199)
20	Lompoc	$1,589 (±$63)
21	University of California-Santa Barbara	$1,526 (±$111)

Showing 7 of 21 places in Santa Barbara County, ranked from highest to lowest.

University of California-Santa Barbara is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

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 University of California-Santa Barbara

What is the average rent in University of California-Santa Barbara, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in University of California-Santa Barbara is $1,526 (±$111) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How many rentals in University of California-Santa Barbara cost more than $2,000 a month?

7.4% of rented homes in University of California-Santa Barbara have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in University of California-Santa Barbara higher than in Santa Barbara County?

In University of California-Santa Barbara, median gross rent is lower than in Santa Barbara County ($2,131).

It is also lower 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 University of California-Santa Barbara CDP, California (place:81316, 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.