; Low Income Apartments For Rent in San Diego, CA

Apply to San Diego Apartment Waiting Lists

Studio 15

1476 Imperial Ave
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

Sorrento Towers

2875 Cowley Way
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
LIHTC
BMIR
S236
Income Based
Studio-1 BR

Del Sol Apartments

3690 Del Sol Blvd.
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

San Diego Square

1055 9th Ave
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
Senior
S. 202
LIHTC
Income Based
1 BR

Alabama Manor Apartments

3836 Alabama St
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Income Based
1 BR

Golden Age Gardens Apartments

740 S 36th St
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
LIHTC
Income Based
1 BR

Villa Nueva

3604 Beyer Blvd
San Diego, California
BMIR
Call For Rent
2-4 BR

Meadowbrook Apartments

7844 Paradise Valley Rd
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
BMIR
S236
Call For Rent
2-3 BR

Connections Housing

1250 6th Ave
San Diego, California
Income Based
Studio BR

Cathedral Plaza

1551 3rd Ave
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
BMIR
S236
Call For Rent
Studio-1 BR

Mason

1345 5th Ave
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
HOME
Income Based
Studio BR

Parker Kier

2172 Front St
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
HOME
Income Based
Studio-1 BR

Tesoro Grove Apartments

1150 Grove Way
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
HOME
Income Based
1-3 BR

Creekside Trails

2129 Coronado Ave
San Diego, California
Rent Assisted
HOME
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Euclid Avenue Apartments

2975 Euclid Ave
San Diego, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
BMIR
S236
Income Based
1 BR
Showing Results 1-15

There are 12,962 low-income apartments in San Diego that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in San Diego, California can range from $597 to $2,795 depending on the number of bedrooms.

Rental assistance programs support 6,434 low-income homes in San Diego where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $490 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 25th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving San Diego, California

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Housing Authority Programs
San Diego Housing Commission Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Moving to Work
Housing Authority of the County of San Diego Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH); Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV); Moderate Rehabilitation; Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near San Diego.

San Diego, California Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in San Diego, California

San Diego features 6,434 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in San Diego, California

There are 12,962 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Diego.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Diego, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Diego landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in San Diego.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Diego, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,550 and $3,116.

2024 San Diego, California Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
San Diego, California Fair Market Rent $2,062 $2,248 $2,833 $3,819 $4,638
San Diego, California Payment Standard Range $1,856 to $2,268 $2,023 to $2,473 $2,550 to $3,116 $3,437 to $4,201 $4,174 to $5,102

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

San Diego, CA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 224
Total Low Income Apartments 19,945
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 6,434
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 53.15%
Average Renter Household Size 2.67
Average Household Size 2.73
Median Household Income $66,116 ±$619
Median Rent $1,377 ±$9
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 51.74% ± 0.87pp
Total Population 1,359,791

Population and Household Demographics

San Diego is a city in San Diego County, California with a population of 1,359,791. There are 485,091 households in the city with an average household size of 2.73 persons. 53.15% of households in San Diego are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in San Diego

The median gross income for households in San Diego is $66,116 a year, or $5,510 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,377 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In San Diego, a household making less than $4,590 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 51.74% of households who rent are overburdened in San Diego.

Area Median Income In San Diego

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For San Diego, the AMI is calculated from all households within San Diego County.

In San Diego, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $116,800

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in San Diego

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in San Diego

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the San Diego AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$28,950 $33,100 $37,250 $41,350 $44,700 $48,000 $51,300 $54,600
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the San Diego AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$48,250 $55,150 $62,050 $68,900 $74,450 $79,950 $85,450 $90,950
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the San Diego AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$77,200 $88,200 $99,250 $110,250 $119,100 $127,900 $136,750 $145,550