; Low Income Apartments For Rent in San Marcos, CA

Apply to San Marcos Apartment Waiting Lists

Ventaliso

609 Richmar Ave
San Marcos, California
Income Based
1-3 BR

Sierra Vista Apartments

422 Los Vallecitos Blvd.
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Call For Rent
2-3 BR

Sage Pointe

225 Autumn Drive
San Marcos, California
Income Based
1-2 BR

Alora

604 Richmar Ave.
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Paseo del Oro Apartments

432 W Mission Rd
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
HOME
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Eastgate at Creekside

16 Creekside Dr
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
HOME
LIHTC
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Ventaliso II Apartments

609 Richmar Ave
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Promenade at Creekside Apartments

2 Creekside Dr
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Income Based
Studio-3 BR

Terra Cotta Apartments

523 Rush Dr
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

Villa Serena Apartments

339 Marcos St
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

The Knolls

688 Vineyard Rd
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

Villa Serena Phase 1

340 Marcos St.
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Westlake Village Apartments

413 & 417 Autumn Dr
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
1 BR

Copper Creek Apartments

1730 Elfin Forest Rd
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
HOME
BMIR

Autumn Terrace

251 Autumn Dr
San Marcos, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Showing Results 1-15

There are 1,778 low-income apartments in San Marcos that offer reduced rents to eligible households.

Rental assistance programs support 62 low-income homes in San Marcos where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $427 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 7th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving San Marcos, 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
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 Marcos.

San Marcos, California Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in San Marcos, California

San Marcos features 62 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 Marcos, California

There are 1,778 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Marcos.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Marcos, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Marcos landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in San Marcos.

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

2024 San Marcos, 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 Marcos, California Fair Market Rent $2,062 $2,248 $2,833 $3,819 $4,638
San Marcos, 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 Marcos, CA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 24
Total Low Income Apartments 1,928
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 62
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 40.91%
Average Renter Household Size 3.28
Average Household Size 3.08
Median Household Income $57,822 ±$3,255
Median Rent $1,318 ±$45
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 55.57% ± 4.79pp
Total Population 89,578

Population and Household Demographics

San Marcos is a city in San Diego County, California with a population of 89,578. There are 28,738 households in the city with an average household size of 3.08 persons. 40.91% of households in San Marcos are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in San Marcos

The median gross income for households in San Marcos is $57,822 a year, or $4,819 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,318 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In San Marcos, a household making less than $4,393 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 55.57% of households who rent are overburdened in San Marcos.

Area Median Income In San Marcos

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 Marcos, the AMI is calculated from all households within San Diego County.

In San Marcos, 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 Marcos

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 Marcos

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 Marcos 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 Marcos 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 Marcos 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