This summer, landlords seeking to raise the rent are a rare breed in Southern California.
My trusty spreadsheet analyzed July rent data from the industry tracker Zumper This math follows the median asking prices for new rental listings in 41 Southern California cities for one- and two-bedroom units in both apartment complexes and rental homes.
The calculations show local landlords increased the median rent they sought for both rental sizes in only nine of those cities. That’s just 22% of the markets studied by Zumper.
For most Southern California renters, few price hikes have been seen this year. Why?
Numerous landlords are facing increased competition to fill vacant units because of a modest burst in new construction, which is giving renters more options. Plus, demand may be weak as a shaky economy convinces some folks not to seek their own place.
Where rents rise
Several of these rent-hike cities are home to major colleges. So demand may be increasing as the school year approaches.
In these spots, the average one-bedroom now lists for $2,000 a month, up 3% from last year. Two-bedrooms? Those are at $2,700, a 4% jump over July 2025.
Southern California’s largest one-year price hikes for one-bedroom units were found in San Marcos, up 10% to $2,430; Encinitas, up 6% to $2,950; Oceanside, up 3% to $2,290; Orange, up 3% to $2,380; and Riverside, up 3% to $1,800.
As for two-bedroom hikes, the biggest were in San Bernardino, up 8% to $2,000; Corona, up 8% to $2,590; San Marcos, up 7% to $2,990; Irvine, up 4% to $3,950; and Oceanside, up 4% to $2,850.
Where discounts dominate
If you’re bargain hunting, here’s the twist: Rent drops showed up more often in Southern California’s pricier neighborhoods.
In 32 cities, landlords either trimmed their asking prices for one or both rental sizes. One-bedrooms in this group averaged $2,200 in monthly rent, down 2% from last year. Two-bedrooms? Landlords are asking $3,000, a dip of half a percent.
Some of the steepest discounts appeared in cities near last year’s wildfires. Most price hikes that followed the disaster are fading.
For one-bedroom units: Lancaster is off 12% to $1,560; Redondo Beach, off 7% to $2,500; Coronado, off 7% to $4,200; West Hollywood, off 6% to $2,620; and Pasadena is down 6% to $2,290.
For two-bedroom units: Oxnard, off 10% to $2,770; Los Angeles, off 7% to $2,970; Glendale, off 7% to $2,710; Burbank, off 7% to $2,870; and West Hollywood, off 6% to $4,100.
It could be worse
Thanks to the Bay Area’s influx of money and jobs in the race for artificial intelligence supremacy, San Francisco rents are skyrocketing: one-bedroom rent soared 23% since July 2025 to $4,180 as two-bedroom prices jumped 26% to $6,020.
By the way, Zumper’s national one-bedroom rent was flat at $1,520, while two-bedroom prices rose by only 0.1% to $1,906.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
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