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A drone image from 2020 shows a large apartment complex in north Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com How much of my income should I spend on rent:<\/p>\n
According to the 30% rent rule,<\/a> you should spend no more than 30% of your gross income on housing costs, leaving the rest of your paycheck for food, transportation, utilities, savings and other expenses.<\/p>\n Federal housing affordability guidelines<\/a> use 30% of household income as a measure of whether housing costs are affordable.<\/p>\n \u201cHousing, groceries, gas and other everyday essentials have all steadily increased at a faster pace<\/a> than the average income,\u201d Realtor.com said in a June 17 report.<\/p>\n The real estate site said the 30% rule should be treated as a starting point \u2014 not \u201ca hard-and-fast guideline.\u201d<\/p>\n California was the most expensive state for renters<\/a> in the United States in 2026, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition\u2019s Out of Reach report<\/a>.<\/p>\n About 44% of California residents are renters<\/a>, according to the coalition.<\/p>\n The Golden State had more than 5.9 million renter households in 2024.<\/p>\n To afford a two-bedroom apartment in California, you would need an income of $52.79 per hour.<\/p>\n People earning minimum wage in California<\/a> \u2014 $16.90 per hour \u2014 need to work 102 hours every week to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment<\/a> at fair market rent in California. That translates to 14.5 hours a day for a 40-hour work week.<\/p>\n In California, fair-market rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $2,237 a month, while a two-bedroom apartment<\/a> costs $2,745 monthly.<\/p>\n To afford rent and utilities on a two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of your income on housing, you\u2019ll have to make $109,812 in annual income, according to the study.<\/p>\n The National Low Income Housing Coalition\u2019s database allows renters to search by ZIP code<\/a> to see how much they would need to earn to afford a modest two-bedroom rental while keeping housing costs at or below 30% of household income.<\/p>\n Fresno had a total of 144,331 renter households in 2026, accounting for 44% of the population.<\/p>\n To afford rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment or house in Fresno, you would need to earn $32 per hour, the coalition found.<\/p>\n You\u2019d need to make $26.06 an hour to afford a one-bedroom rental in Fresno.<\/p>\n Fair-market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Fresno cost $1,355 a month, while it cost $1,664 per month to rent for a two-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n To afford a one-bedroom apartment in Fresno, you would need an annual income of $54,200, while a two-bedroom apartment requires $66,560 per year.<\/p>\n According to rental website apartments.com<\/a>, the average cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Fresno is $1,520 per month.<\/p>\n According to the housing coalition\u2019s database, the 93701<\/a> ZIP code in downtown Fresno is the most affordable in the city.<\/p>\n You\u2019d need to earn $26.21 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n On the other end of the spectrum, the 92723 ZIP code<\/a> is one of the most expensive areas in Fresno, requiring an hourly wage of $48.08 to afford a two-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n In the northern section of the city, you can afford a two-bedroom apartment in the ZIP code 93710 by earning at least $30.17 per hour.<\/p>\n In the 93706 ZIP code in southern Fresno, the hourly wage needed drops to $26.92.<\/p>\n According to the coalition\u2019s analysis of Fresno ZIP code, hourly wages needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment range from $26 to $48, depending on the specific area.<\/p>\n You can check how much you\u2019ll need to afford a two-bedroom rental in the Fresno area by visiting nlihc.org\/oor<\/a> and entering your ZIP code.<\/p>\n How did low income housing group compare ZIP codes?<\/p>\n To determine rental costs across the United States, the National Low Income Housing Coalition focused on the housing wage.<\/p>\n This estimates how much a full-time worker must earn hourly to afford a rental home at HUD\u2019s fair market rent without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201cthe most widely accepted standard of affordability,\u201d the coalition said.<\/p>\n Loading\u2026<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Christy Hall, right, and her 14-year-old daughter, Ivorie, take a break from unpacking after moving into their new two-bedroom apartment at Parc Grove Commons in Fresno in April 2011. JOHN WALKER jwalker@fresnobee.com How expensive is California for renters?<\/p>\n
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The old Hotel Fresno in downtown Fresno, built in 1913, is undergoing renovations to convert it into an 81-unit building of affordable apartments. CRAIG KOHLRUSS Fresno Bee file photo How much do I need to earn to afford rent in Fresno?<\/p>\n A \u201cFor Rent\u201d sign in southeast Fresno. The Fresno Bee File Photo What is Fresno\u2019s most affordable ZIP code?<\/p>\n