This summer, landlords seeking to raise the rent are a rare breed in Southern California.<\/p>\n
My trusty spreadsheet<\/a> analyzed July rent data from the industry tracker Zumper<\/a>\u00a0This math follows the median asking prices for new rental listings in 41 Southern California cities<\/a> for one- and two-bedroom units in both apartment complexes and rental homes.<\/p>\n The calculations show local landlords increased the median rent they sought for both rental sizes in only nine of those cities. That\u2019s just 22% of the markets studied by Zumper.<\/p>\n For most Southern California renters, few price hikes have been seen this year. Why?<\/p>\n Numerous landlords are facing increased competition to fill vacant units because of a modest burst in new construction, which is giving renters more options. Plus, demand may be weak as a shaky economy convinces some folks not to seek their own place.<\/p>\n Where rents rise<\/p>\n Several of these rent-hike cities are home to major colleges. So demand may be increasing as the school year approaches.<\/p>\n In these spots, the average one-bedroom now lists for $2,000 a month, up 3% from last year. Two-bedrooms? Those are at $2,700, a 4% jump over July 2025.<\/p>\n Southern California\u2019s largest one-year price hikes for one-bedroom units were found in San Marcos, up 10% to $2,430; Encinitas, up 6% to $2,950; Oceanside, up 3% to $2,290; Orange, up 3% to $2,380; and Riverside, up 3% to $1,800.<\/p>\n As for two-bedroom hikes, the biggest were in San Bernardino, up 8% to $2,000; Corona, up 8% to $2,590; San Marcos, up 7% to $2,990; Irvine, up 4% to $3,950; and Oceanside, up 4% to $2,850.<\/p>\n Where discounts dominate<\/p>\n If you\u2019re bargain hunting, here\u2019s the twist: Rent drops showed up more often in Southern California\u2019s pricier neighborhoods.<\/p>\n In 32 cities, landlords either trimmed their asking prices for one or both rental sizes. One-bedrooms in this group averaged $2,200 in monthly rent, down 2% from last year. Two-bedrooms? Landlords are asking $3,000, a dip of half a percent.<\/p>\n Some of the steepest discounts appeared in cities near last year\u2019s wildfires. Most price hikes that followed the disaster are fading.<\/p>\n For one-bedroom units: Lancaster is off 12% to $1,560; Redondo Beach, off 7% to $2,500; Coronado, off 7% to $4,200; West Hollywood, off 6% to $2,620; and Pasadena is down 6% to $2,290.<\/p>\n For two-bedroom units: Oxnard, off 10% to $2,770; Los Angeles, off 7% to $2,970; Glendale, off 7% to $2,710; Burbank, off 7% to $2,870; and West Hollywood, off 6% to $4,100.<\/p>\n It could be worse<\/p>\n Thanks to the Bay Area\u2019s influx of money and jobs in the race for artificial intelligence supremacy, San Francisco rents are skyrocketing: one-bedroom rent soared 23% since July 2025 to $4,180 as two-bedroom prices jumped 26% to $6,020.<\/p>\n By the way, Zumper\u2019s national<\/a> one-bedroom rent was flat at $1,520, while two-bedroom prices rose by only 0.1% to $1,906.<\/p>\n Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com<\/a><\/p>\n