Average Rent in San Jose, CA (2026)

Typical asking rent in San Jose is $3,532. Across the 26 ZIP codes with data it runs from $3,011 to $5,338, so which side of town you buy on matters as much as the city average. Data as of July 2026.

Median rent
$3,532
Average rent
$3,717
Lowest ZIP
$3,011
Highest ZIP
$5,338

Rent by ZIP code in San Jose

ZIP codeCountyTypical rentvs city median
95120Santa Clara County$5,338+51%
95124Santa Clara County$4,542+29%
95148Santa Clara County$4,533+28%
95118Santa Clara County$4,501+27%
95135Santa Clara County$4,407+25%
95138Santa Clara County$4,141+17%
95125Santa Clara County$4,084+16%
95132Santa Clara County$3,923+11%
95134Santa Clara County$3,792+7%
95131Santa Clara County$3,711+5%
95133Santa Clara County$3,648+3%
95113Santa Clara County$3,575+1%
95123Santa Clara County$3,5370%
95136Santa Clara County$3,5270%
95127Santa Clara County$3,456-2%
95128Santa Clara County$3,441-3%
95121Santa Clara County$3,426-3%
95130Santa Clara County$3,384-4%
95129Santa Clara County$3,363-5%
95126Santa Clara County$3,284-7%
95110Santa Clara County$3,240-8%
95112Santa Clara County$3,231-9%
95111Santa Clara County$3,205-9%
95116Santa Clara County$3,176-10%
95122Santa Clara County$3,169-10%
95117Santa Clara County$3,011-15%

Rent by bedroom count in San Jose

Zillow's index above blends every unit size into one number. For a bedroom level view, these are HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents for Santa Clara County. They include utilities and sit near the 40th percentile of the market, so treat them as the low side of what a typical unit lists for. Santa Clara County uses Small Area FMRs, and the two bedroom figure runs from $2,400 to $4,460 depending on the San Jose ZIP code.

Unit sizeFY2027 Fair Market RentChange from FY2026
Studio$2,458-6.2%
1 bedroom$2,778-6.8%
2 bedroom$3,272-6.1%
3 bedroom$4,396-4.5%
4 bedroom$4,688-6.4%

Source: HUD Fair Market Rents. Updates when HUD publishes a new fiscal year.

Is rent going up or down in San Jose?

Typical rent across Santa Clara County is $3,821 as of August 2026. That is up 7.8% from a year earlier and up 26.6% over five years.

YearTypical rent, Santa Clara CountyChange
2021$3,121+7.8%
2022$3,312+6.1%
2023$3,318+0.2%
2024$3,460+4.3%
2025$3,619+4.6%
2026 (through August)$3,821+5.6%

Zillow Observed Rent Index for the county, all home types, last published month of each year. Each row is compared with the end of the year before it.

San Jose rent questions

What is the average rent in San Jose, CA?
Typical asking rent in San Jose is $3,532 a month as of July 2026, across 26 ZIP codes. By ZIP code it runs from $3,011 to $5,338.
How much is rent for a 2 bedroom in San Jose?
HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a two bedroom in Santa Clara County is $3,272 a month including utilities. A one bedroom is $2,778 and a three bedroom is $4,396. Fair Market Rent is set near the 40th percentile, so a typical unit lists somewhat higher.
Is rent going up or down in San Jose?
Rent is rising. Typical rent in Santa Clara County is $3,821 as of August 2026, up 7.8% from a year earlier.
What is the cheapest ZIP code to rent in San Jose?
ZIP 95117 has the lowest typical asking rent in San Jose at $3,011 a month, compared with $3,532 for the city overall.
How much income do you need to rent in San Jose?
Most landlords look for gross income of about three times the rent. At the typical San Jose rent of $3,532, that is about $10,596 a month, or $127,152 a year. This is a common screening rule of thumb, and individual landlords set their own.

How to use these numbers

These are Zillow Observed Rent Index values, a smoothed measure of typical asking rent for single family homes, condos, and apartments in each ZIP code. They describe what units are listed for, not what any specific unit will get. Condition, bedroom count, and the exact block all move the number.

If you are underwriting a purchase, use the ZIP figure rather than the city median, and then verify against live listings for the same bedroom count before you commit. San Jose sits in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area.

Other California cities

Would a rental in San Jose cash flow?

Start the analyzer with the San Jose median rent of $3,532 and add a real purchase price to see cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return.