California rent guide

The Cheapest Studio Apartments in California (July 2026)

Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 926 studios tracked statewide

A studio is the cheapest way to live alone in California, no roommates, no shared walls, just less square footage. We track 926 of them, starting at $900 a month against a statewide median of $2,111. That median runs about $92 a month below the typical one-bedroom ($2,203), so a studio is the move when privacy matters more than space and you’d rather not split rent.

Cheapest studio cities, ranked

Cities with at least three live studios, ranked by the cheapest one listed today. The median column is the honest budget number once that single deal is gone.

#	City	From	Median studio	Listed
1	Bakersfield	$965	$1,088	10
2	Stockton	$1,000	$1,330	5
3	Anaheim	$1,000	$1,900	13
4	Santa Rosa	$1,049	$1,575	5
5	Los Angeles	$1,077	$1,949	148
6	Sacramento	$1,150	$1,706	21
7	Modesto	$1,175	$1,566	3
8	Riverside	$1,200	$1,711	7
9	Hayward	$1,200	$2,017	7
10	San Francisco	$1,200	$2,217	83
11	Citrus Heights	$1,235	$1,350	3
12	Palm Desert	$1,254	$1,521	4
13	Oakland	$1,298	$2,230	42
14	Glendale	$1,300	$2,499	8
15	Folsom	$1,309	$1,989	3
16	Turlock	$1,325	$1,740	3
17	Long Beach	$1,345	$2,014	15
18	Fremont	$1,393	$2,167	8
19	Fairfield	$1,399	$1,927	4
20	Fullerton	$1,450	$1,878	12
21	Torrance	$1,450	$1,916	7
22	Pomona	$1,450	$1,750	5
23	Hawthorne	$1,450	$1,475	4
24	Burbank	$1,461	$1,900	10
25	San Diego	$1,500	$2,296	76
26	Pico Rivera	$1,525	$1,595	3
27	West Sacramento	$1,550	$1,749	5
28	Santa Clara	$1,609	$2,856	7
29	Oxnard	$1,609	$2,255	7
30	Newport Beach	$1,609	$2,570	5
31	San Marcos	$1,695	$2,359	5
32	Chula Vista	$1,697	$2,238	6
33	Berkeley	$1,750	$2,353	8
34	Upland	$1,755	$1,780	3
35	Salinas	$1,765	$1,943	4
36	Santa Ana	$1,775	$2,127	7
37	Concord	$1,797	$1,820	3
38	Huntington Beach	$1,798	$2,180	7
39	Valley Village	$1,849	$2,017	4
40	Pasadena	$1,850	$2,639	12
41	West Hollywood	$1,850	$2,223	12
42	Vista	$1,855	$1,995	3
43	Emeryville	$1,880	$2,225	3
44	Walnut Creek	$1,893	$2,140	8
45	Buena Park	$1,895	$2,195	3
46	Beverly Hills	$1,895	$2,623	4
47	San Jose	$1,895	$2,627	32
48	Camarillo	$1,900	$2,130	4
49	Ventura	$1,949	$2,159	5
50	San Ramon	$1,954	$2,067	5
51	Montclair	$1,985	$2,404	3
52	Tustin	$1,995	$2,145	3
53	Alameda	$1,995	$2,503	4
54	Irvine	$2,000	$2,482	10
55	Costa Mesa	$2,007	$2,350	5
56	Daly City	$2,056	$2,181	3
57	Santa Monica	$2,095	$2,665	12
58	San Mateo	$2,095	$3,445	5
59	Orange	$2,098	$2,516	7
60	Redondo Beach	$2,099	$2,463	4
61	Belmont	$2,125	$2,882	6
62	South San Francisco	$2,150	$2,815	3
63	Sunnyvale	$2,150	$3,177	13
64	Santa Cruz	$2,175	$2,633	6
65	Campbell	$2,178	$2,659	6
66	Monrovia	$2,335	$2,407	4
67	Dublin	$2,355	$2,437	3
68	Redwood City	$2,554	$3,494	4
69	Marina Del Rey	$2,677	$2,743	4
70	Cupertino	$3,177	$3,449	4
71	Mountain View	$3,413	$3,637	7

Studio or one-bedroom?

The gap between a studio and a one-bed is usually a few hundred dollars a month, around $92 at the statewide median. If you work from home or want a real bedroom door, the one-bed often earns its premium. If you’re out most of the day and the rent is what’s keeping you up at night, the studio wins. Either way, sort by price and check the median before you judge a city, one cheap unit doesn’t make a market.

Methodology

We took every studio we currently track in California (926 of them) and grouped them by city. “From” is the cheapest studio listed there today; “median” is the midpoint. A city needs at least three live studios to appear, and rooms and senior housing are excluded. The one-bedroom comparison uses the same live data. Figures update with our listings (last updated Jun 9, 2026).

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest studio apartment in California?

The lowest studio we track starts at $900/mo, and Bakersfield is the cheapest city for studios right now. The statewide studio median is $2,111/mo.

How much does a studio cost versus a 1-bedroom in California?

A studio runs about $92/mo less than a one-bedroom at the statewide median ($2,111 versus $2,203). In some cities the gap nearly disappears, so always compare both.

Are these real studio listings?

Yes, 926 currently-listed studios across California, ranked by live price and refreshed with our data. We exclude single rooms and age-restricted senior housing.

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Budget Leases is an independent rental tracker and isn’t affiliated with any listing provider. Rents and availability change constantly, so always confirm the current price on the original listing before you make a decision.