ADU Rent in California by County
HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents · 12 counties · Verified 2026-10-28
HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom runs from $1,705 a month in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to $3,003 in San Mateo County, across the 12 California counties below. The one-bedroom figure fell in 8 of the 10 HUD rent areas from FY2026.
These are HUD's benchmarks for a typical rental across each metro area, not a quote for your backyard home. Use them to frame rent before you check listings near your lot.
ADU rent benchmarks by county (FY2027)
Monthly HUD Fair Market Rents, effective 2026-10-01, ordered by the one-bedroom figure. The last column compares the one-bedroom figure with FY2026.
| County | Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 1-bed change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San MateoSan Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | +0.9% |
| Santa ClaraSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,458 | $2,778 | $3,272 | -6.8% |
| Santa BarbaraSanta Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA | $2,479 | $2,711 | $3,106 | -1.3% |
| OrangeSanta Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,580 | $2,610 | $3,057 | -5.0% |
| Los AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,151 | $2,402 | $2,964 | +3.2% |
| San DiegoSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA | $2,192 | $2,335 | $2,823 | -5.0% |
| AlamedaOakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,088 | $2,290 | $2,805 | -4.0% |
| Contra CostaOakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $2,088 | $2,290 | $2,805 | -4.0% |
| VenturaOxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA MSA | $1,827 | $2,035 | $2,424 | -9.6% |
| SacramentoSacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA HUD Metro FMR Area | $1,742 | $1,793 | $2,201 | -2.1% |
| RiversideRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA | $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | -4.1% |
| San BernardinoRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA | $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | -4.1% |
HUD sets these figures for metro rent areas, not counties, so Alameda and Contra Costa, and Riverside and San Bernardino share figures. The one-bedroom figure rose only in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties. Download the table as CSV. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.
From a HUD benchmark to a backyard-home rent range
LotFoundry quotes the studio figure for a unit up to 400 sq ft, the one-bedroom figure for 401-800 sq ft, and the two-bedroom figure above that. The HUD figure is the conservative case; the market case adds 12% and the optimistic case 25%. For a 600 sq ft one-bedroom in San Diego County, that gives $2,335 to $2,919 a month.
| County | Conservative | Market | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | $3,003 | $3,363 | $3,754 |
| Santa Clara | $2,778 | $3,111 | $3,473 |
| Santa Barbara | $2,711 | $3,036 | $3,389 |
| Orange | $2,610 | $2,923 | $3,263 |
| Los Angeles | $2,402 | $2,690 | $3,003 |
| San Diego | $2,335 | $2,615 | $2,919 |
| Alameda | $2,290 | $2,565 | $2,863 |
| Contra Costa | $2,290 | $2,565 | $2,863 |
| Ventura | $2,035 | $2,279 | $2,544 |
| Sacramento | $1,793 | $2,008 | $2,241 |
| Riverside | $1,705 | $1,910 | $2,131 |
| San Bernardino | $1,705 | $1,910 | $2,131 |
Early planning estimates, not appraisals or guaranteed income. The methodology page shows how rent feeds the cost and payback figures.
What a Fair Market Rent measures
HUD defines a Fair Market Rent as an estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent for standard-quality units in a metro area: about 40% of those rentals cost less. Gross rent includes tenant-paid utilities, so a unit where the tenant pays utilities separately would usually rent for less than the gross figure. A new, well-finished backyard home can also rent above it; the benchmark describes the whole metro rental stock, not new units.
HUD builds each area's figure from American Community Survey rents and adjusts them forward. For San Diego's FY2027 two-bedroom figure, HUD's documentation starts from a 2024 survey base rent of $2,131, applies a recent-mover factor of 1.229, a 2025 inflation adjustment of 1.0258 and a trend factor of 1.05082 to reach $2,823. In San Diego, HUD also publishes ZIP-code-level figures that voucher programs use; this page uses the metro figure.
See the rent range for a backyard home on your lot.
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California ADU rent questions, answered
How much can I rent an ADU for in California?
HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom runs from $1,705 a month in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to $3,003 in San Mateo County, across the 12 counties on this page. A Fair Market Rent is a benchmark for a typical rental in the metro area, not a quote for a specific unit, so treat it as a starting point and check local listings.
What is a HUD Fair Market Rent?
HUD defines Fair Market Rents as estimates of 40th percentile gross rents for standard-quality units in a metro area or nonmetropolitan county. About 40% of those rentals cost less and about 60% cost more. HUD uses the figures to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards and other program rents.
Do Fair Market Rents include utilities?
Yes. They are gross rents, meaning rent plus tenant-paid utilities. If your tenant will pay utilities separately, the rent you charge would usually sit below the gross figure.
Did ADU rents go down this year?
HUD's one-bedroom benchmark fell from FY2026 to FY2027 in 8 of the 10 HUD rent areas covering these counties. That is HUD's estimate for typical rentals across each area, not a measure of backyard-home rents specifically.
Which rent does LotFoundry use for my lot?
The Studio and calculator start from the HUD Fair Market Rent for your county and the unit's bedroom count, then show a market case 12% higher and an optimistic case 25% higher. They are early planning estimates, not appraisals or guaranteed income.
Sources and data
- HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent Documentation System - final FY2027 and FY2026 figures for each county
- HUD Fair Market Rents overview - what an FMR measures and how HUD uses it
- This table as CSV - the HUD figures and planning ranges above, one row per county
HUD figures were read from HUD's documentation pages on 2026-10-28. Planning ranges are LotFoundry estimates, not figures published by HUD.
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