; Low Income Apartments For Rent in San Mateo, CA

Apply to San Mateo Apartment Waiting Lists

St Matthew Apartments

215 E 2nd Ave
San Mateo, California
Income Based
Studio BR

Peninsula Station

2901 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Income Based
1-2 BR

Delaware Pacific

1990 S Delaware St
San Mateo, California
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
HOME
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Delaware Place

200 S Delaware St
San Mateo, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
HOME
PBV

Montara

2775 S. Delaware Street
San Mateo, California
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBV
LIHTC
HOME
1 BR

515 N El Camino Real Unit 5

515 N El Camino Real Unit 5
San Mateo, California
$2,995
2 BR

2977 S Norfolk St Unit 209

2977 S Norfolk St Unit 209
San Mateo, California
$3,100
2 BR

902 Peninsula Ave Unit 217

902 Peninsula Ave
San Mateo, California
$2,450
1 BR

Park Central

724 Laurel Ave
San Mateo, California
$2,325
3 BR

Country Club Apartments

420 N Bayshore Fwy
San Mateo, California
$1,950
Studio BR

1225 Beacon Ave Unit Upstairs

1225 Beacon Ave Unit Upstairs
San Mateo, California
$2,700
2 BR

316 N El Camino Real

316 N El Camino Real
San Mateo, California
$3,300
2 BR

800 N Delaware St

800 N Delaware St
San Mateo, California
$2,380
1 BR

Room in 6 Bedroom Home at 1432 Bel Aire Rd

1432 Bel Aire Rd
San Mateo, California
$1,300
1 BR

50 N San Mateo Dr

50 N San Mateo Dr
San Mateo, California
$2,750
1 BR
Showing Results 1-15

There are 403 low-income apartments in San Mateo that offer reduced rents to eligible households.

Rental assistance programs support 441 low-income homes in San Mateo where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $570 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on July 2nd, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving San Mateo, 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 Mateo Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Moving to Work
Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near San Mateo.

San Mateo, California Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in San Mateo, California

San Mateo features 441 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 Mateo, California

There are 403 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Mateo.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Mateo, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Mateo landlords $1,500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $600 towards rent in San Mateo.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Mateo, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,023 and $3,695.

2024 San Mateo, 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 Mateo, California Fair Market Rent $2,292 $2,818 $3,359 $4,112 $4,473
San Mateo, California Payment Standard Range $2,063 to $2,521 $2,536 to $3,100 $3,023 to $3,695 $3,701 to $4,523 $4,026 to $4,920

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

San Mateo, CA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 29
Total Low Income Apartments 913
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 441
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 46.72%
Average Renter Household Size 2.59
Average Household Size 2.63
Median Household Income $90,208 ±$2,595
Median Rent $1,756 ±$36
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 48.5% ± 2.95pp
Total Population 101,335

Population and Household Demographics

San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California with a population of 101,335. There are 37,861 households in the city with an average household size of 2.63 persons. 46.72% of households in San Mateo are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in San Mateo

The median gross income for households in San Mateo is $90,208 a year, or $7,517 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,756 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In San Mateo, a household making less than $5,853 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 48.5% of households who rent are overburdened in San Mateo.

Area Median Income In San Mateo

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

In San Mateo, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $175,000

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 Mateo

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 Mateo

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 Mateo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$39,050 $44,600 $50,200 $55,750 $60,250 $64,700 $69,150 $73,600
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the San Mateo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$65,050 $74,350 $83,650 $92,900 $100,350 $107,800 $115,200 $122,650
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the San Mateo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$104,100 $118,950 $133,800 $148,650 $160,550 $172,450 $184,350 $196,250