California rent guide
Cheapest Rentals Near California College Campuses (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 206 near-campus rentals tracked across 22 college towns
Student housing is its own rental market: small budgets, a hard September deadline, and a search radius measured in walking minutes, not miles. We flag every apartment within about a mile and a half of a major California university, UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSD, San Diego State, Cal Poly, San Jose State, Chico State, Fresno State and more, so you can see what’s actually near class. We track 206 of them, and the cheapest start at $859 a month, against a near-campus median of $2,440.
Cheapest college towns, ranked
Cities with at least three live near-campus rentals, ranked by the cheapest one listed today. The median tells you the normal price once that one bargain is gone, the number that actually sets your budget.
| # | City | From | Median | Near campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | $859 | $1,600 | 5 |
| 2 | Fresno | $899 | $1,373 | 6 |
| 3 | Northridge | $1,000 | $1,940 | 4 |
| 4 | San Jose | $1,339 | $2,943 | 23 |
| 5 | Riverside | $1,355 | $1,895 | 16 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,560 | $2,474 | 6 |
| 7 | Los Angeles | $1,589 | $2,795 | 35 |
| 8 | San Diego | $1,595 | $2,524 | 32 |
| 9 | Berkeley | $1,659 | $3,095 | 23 |
| 10 | San Bernardino | $1,779 | $1,840 | 3 |
| 11 | Fullerton | $1,799 | $1,920 | 12 |
| 12 | Orange | $1,925 | $2,556 | 12 |
| 13 | Davis | $2,000 | $2,209 | 4 |
| 14 | Placentia | $2,085 | $2,577 | 6 |
| 15 | Santa Clara | $2,295 | $2,650 | 8 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $2,345 | $2,427 | 3 |
Renting near campus without overpaying
Two things move student rents more than anything else: timing and roommates. The cheapest leases turn over in winter and early spring for a fall start, so the renters who lock in by February consistently beat the August scramble. And splitting a two- or three-bedroom almost always beats a solo studio on a per-person basis, even right next to campus. On the site you can filter to “Near a college campus,” sort by price, and save a search so you hear about a new near-campus listing the week it posts.
Methodology
We tag a listing “near campus” when it sits within roughly 1.5 miles of a major California university (or is explicitly student housing). This guide groups those 206 rentals by city. “From” is the cheapest one listed there today; “median” is the midpoint. A city needs at least three live near-campus rentals to appear; rooms and senior housing are excluded. Figures update with our listing data (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Where is the cheapest rent near a California college campus?
Sacramento has the cheapest near-campus rentals right now, from $859/mo. Across 22 college towns the near-campus median is $2,440/mo.
Which California campuses does this cover?
Listings within about 1.5 miles of major California universities, including UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSD, San Diego State, Cal Poly, San Jose State, Chico State and Fresno State.
When should students start apartment hunting?
Earlier than the August scramble. The cheapest leases turn over in winter and early spring for a fall start, so renters who lock in by February consistently beat the late-summer rush.
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