Southern California rents increased slightly over the past year, with the largest increases found in some of the region’s priciest neighborhoods.
My trusty spreadsheet reviewed ApartmentList’s July report on 42 local rental markets, tracking overall changes in the past 12 months as well as the typical rent for one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
ApartmentList tracks rents in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties by combining government rent statistics with pricing for recently leased units in its rental-search database.
Across the 42 local markets, apartment seekers found the median rent was 0.5% higher over 12 months. The median rents in these communities were $1,968 for one-bedroom units and $2,453 for two units.
It appears that economic uncertainty, a cooling job market, as well as added supply from newly built complexes, minimized any upward push from January’s Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed an estimated 12,000 structures. Initially, fears swirled that the housing needs of fire victims would send local rents skyward.
Look at the market when it’s sliced by where rents are rising and where they’re falling.
In the 25 neighborhoods with rising rents – a median 1.4% gain in a year – rents ran $2,087 for one bedroom and $2,493 for two. But in the 17 places with declining rents – a median 1% dip – rents ran $1,833 for one bedroom and $2,256 for two.
Geography is in play. Rising rents are concentrated in wealthier neighborhoods closer to the coast.
Ponder that the median map coordinates of the 25 markets with rising rents is near Disneyland. Meanwhile, the median location with declining rents is 16 miles to the northeast, close to Chino Airport.
Here are 10 local markets with the largest rent hikes …
Newport Beach: Up 3.9% in a year. Rents ran $2,797 for one bedroom (No. 2 of 45 local markets) and $3,473 for two bedrooms (No. 1).
Pasadena: Up 3.5%. Rents? $2,195 for one bedroom (No. 15) and $2,824 for two (No. 10).
Pomona: Up 3.5%. Rents? $1,595 for one bedroom (No. 38) and $2,013 for two (No. 34).
Burbank: Up 3.4%. Rents? $1,819 for one bedroom (No. 28) and $2,450 for two (No. 22).
Santa Monica: Up 3.3%. Rents? $2,350 for one bedroom (No. 11) and $2,817 for two (No. 11).
Costa Mesa: Up 3%. Rents? $2,328 for one bedroom (No. 12) and $2,686 for two (No. 13).
Colton: Up 2.4%. Rents? $1,358 for one bedroom (No. 40) and $1,676 for two (No. 41).
Huntington Beach: Up 2.4%. Rents? $2,244 for one bedroom (No. 14) and $2,534 for two (No. 17).
Brea: Up 2.2%. Rents? Rents ran $2,140 for one bedroom (No. 16) and $2,685 for two (No. 14).
Aliso Viejo: Up 2%. Rents? Rents ran $2,598 for one bedroom (No. 6) and $3,068 for two (No. 6).
And where rents fell the most …
Calabasas: Down 4.1% in a year. Rents ran $2,949 for one bedroom (No. 1 of 45 local markets) and $3,245 for two bedrooms (No. 3).
Temecula: Down 4%. Rents? $1,751 for one bedroom (No. 31) and $1,943 for two (No. 37).
Laguna Niguel: Down 3.6%. Rents? $2,622 for one bedroom (No. 5) and $2,976 for two (No. 7).
Chino: Down 1.5%. Rents? $1,654 for one bedroom (No. 34) and $2,120 for two (No. 31).
Palm Desert: Down 1.5%. Rents? $1,220 for one bedroom (No. 42) and $1,737 for two (No. 40).
Redlands: 1.5%. Rents? $1,787 for one bedroom (No. 30) and $2,070 for two (No. 32).
San Clemente: Down 1.2%. Rents? $2,300 for one bedroom (No. 13) and $2,601 for two (No. 16).
Monrovia: Down 1.1%. Rents? $1,788 for one bedroom (No. 29) and $2,352 for two (No. 25).
Los Angeles: Down 1%. Rents? $1,872 for one bedroom (No. 25) and $2,387 for two (No. 24).
Lake Forest: Down 0.9%. Rents? $2,763 for one bedroom (No. 3) and $3,300 for two (No. 2).
PS: To see all 42 markets, go to bit.ly/julyrents2025
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com