Santa Cruz-Watsonville
California · Ranked #363 of 373 metros
24Crisis
💡
Housing in Santa Cruz-Watsonville costs 9.57× the median income, above the national average of 4.5×. The median home price is $1.01M and median rent is $2,055/month. Santa Cruz-Watsonville ranks #363 of 373 metros for affordability.
Median Home Price
🏠$1.0M
Need $299K income
Median Rent
🔑$2,055
Need $82K income
Building Permits
🔨259
annual
Median Income
💰$106K
Pop: 250,645
Rent Burden
⚠️28.3%
of renters paying >30%
Homeownership
🏡60.0%
Rent Burden
vs. National Average
Key Facts vs. National Average
| Metric | Santa Cruz-Watsonville | National |
|---|---|---|
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 9.57x | 6.1x |
| Rent Burden | 28.3% | 31.5% |
| Homeownership Rate | 60.0% | 65.5% |
| YoY Rent Change | 0% | +2.8% |
| Mortgage Denial Rate | 0.0% | 13.5% |
| Eviction Rate | 0.0% | 3.6% |
HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026)
Section 8 voucher payment standards
Studio$3,179/mo
1 Bedroom$3,298/mo
2 Bedroom$4,214/mo
3 Bedroom$5,377/mo
4 Bedroom$5,659/mo
Zillow Market Data
Home Value (ZHVI)
$1.1M
1yr: +1.0%5yr: +22.9%
Rent (ZORI)
$3,359/mo
1yr: +1.2%5yr: +30.7%
Note: ZORI reflects current listing prices and may differ from the Census ACS median rent shown above, which captures what renters actually pay including below-market and subsidized units.
Redfin Market Activity
Median Sale Price
$1.6M
Active Inventory
16
Days on Market
37
Sold Above List
0.0%
Price Drops
12.5%