Southern California is home to 17 of the priciest cities for renters.
My trusty spreadsheet examined ApartmentList pricing data for 610 U.S. cities, tracking rents for the three months ending in October and comparing that cost with the same period six years earlier. ApartmentList blends federal pricing statistics and rents from its own listings database. It tracked 86 California cities, or 14% of all markets.
Of the 50 priciest cities for tenants, California has by far the most – 38, which break into 17 in the south and 21 to the north. Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia each have three, Washington state had two, and Connecticut had one.
Southern California’s priciest was Newport Beach at $3,360 per month. That’s No. 3 in the nation and up 24% in six years, the No. 18 gain of the 50 priciest cities.
Hoboken, New Jersey, was the priciest at $3,601 per month, up 23% in the past six years. No. 2 was the Bay Area’s San Mateo at $3,521, up 8% in six years.
The 16 other local cities among the costliest places to rent:
Lake Forest: $3,216 a month in August through October, No. 8 among the top 50 and up 33% in six years, the No. 4 gain.
Irvine: $3,090 monthly, No. 10, up 29% in six years, No. 9.
Aliso Viejo: $2,998 monthly, No. 17, up 40% in six years, No. 1.
Laguna Niguel: $2,990 monthly, No. 18, up 30% in six years, No. 8.
Culver City: $2,942 monthly, No. 20, up 9% in six years, No. 31.
Mission Viejo: $2,929 monthly, No. 22, up 32% in six years, No. 6.
Thousand Oaks: $2,893 monthly, No. 24, up 28% in six years, No. 11.
Chino Hills: $2,871 monthly, No. 25, up 32% in six years, No. 5.
Simi Valley: $2,799 monthly, No. 27, up 25% in six years, No. 15.
Rancho Santa Margarita: $2,723 monthly, No. 31, up 32% in six years, No. 7.
Camarillo: $2,616 monthly, No. 40, up 26% in six years, No. 12.
Costa Mesa: $2,603 monthly, No. 41, up 29% in six years, No. 10.
Brea: $2,552 monthly, No. 44, up 22% in six years, No. 20.
Huntington Beach: $2,542 monthly, No. 47, up 24% in six years, No. 17.
Pasadena: $2,527 monthly, No. 48, up 21% in six years, No. 22.
Orange: $2,515 monthly, No. 50, up 26% in six years, No. 13.
It’s not just renters who are suffering from this kind of price squeeze.
PropertyShark’s list of the nation’s 120 priciest ZIP codes for home prices included 17 in Los Angeles County, the most of any U.S. county, and 12 in Orange County, third-highest.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
