How much will Section 8 pay for rent in San Diego County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $2,541 to $3,105. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than San Diego County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In San Diego those run from $1,750 to $4,230 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for San Diego County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new California figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in San Diego County, California (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in San Diego County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $2,823 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in San Diego keys off that figure.

Two-bedroom FMR

$2,823

-5.9% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$2,541–$3,105

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$112,920

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in California

11th of 58

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.

Bedrooms	FMR	Payment standard	Income needed	Hourly wage	vs FY 2026
Studio	$2,192	$1,973–$2,411	$87,680	$42.15/hr	-4.2%
1 bedroom	$2,335	$2,102–$2,569	$93,400	$44.90/hr	-5.0%
2 bedroom	$2,823	$2,541–$3,105	$112,920	$54.29/hr	-5.9%
3 bedroom	$3,743	$3,369–$4,117	$149,720	$71.98/hr	-6.4%
4 bedroom	$4,526	$4,073–$4,979	$181,040	$87.04/hr	-6.6%

Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)

HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.

Bedrooms	Estimated FMR	Payment standard
5 bedroom Estimate	$5,205	$4,685–$5,726
6 bedroom Estimate	$5,884	$5,296–$6,472
7 bedroom Estimate	$6,563	$5,907–$7,219
8 bedroom Estimate	$7,242	$6,518–$7,966

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

Two-bedrooms in San Diego are asking $3,226. HUD says $2,823.

That's 14% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 17 San Diego ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.

San Diego rents by ZIP code Section 8 vs market rent, 65 metros

No card needed

What a voucher pays here

The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in San Diego somewhere between $2,541 and $3,105. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.

$2,823 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $112,920 a year. Put another way, $54 an hour full time.

Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.

Monthly household income	Tenant pays (30%)	Voucher pays at 90%$2,541	Voucher pays at 100%$2,823	Voucher pays at 110%$3,105
$2,500	$750	$1,791	$2,073	$2,355
$4,000	$1,200	$1,341	$1,623	$1,905

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went down 6% from FY 2026 ($3,001) to FY 2027 ($2,823). Since FY 2020 it's up 39% in total, about 4.8% a year. The California median moved up 2% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$1,404	$1,566	$2,037	$2,894	$3,576	—
FY 2021	$1,478	$1,642	$2,124	$2,987	$3,677	+4.3%
FY 2022	$1,573	$1,739	$2,232	$3,099	$3,795	+5.1%
FY 2023	$1,714	$1,885	$2,399	$3,279	$3,988	+7.5%
FY 2024	$2,062	$2,248	$2,833	$3,819	$4,638	+18.1%
FY 2025	$2,145	$2,328	$2,881	$3,852	$4,690	+1.7%
FY 2026	$2,288	$2,459	$3,001	$3,998	$4,845	+4.2%
FY 2027In effect	$2,192	$2,335	$2,823	$3,743	$4,526	-5.9%

About this rate

Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In San Diego, that runs from $2,192 for a studio up to $4,526 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

San Diego is its own HUD metro area (San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among California's 58 counties, San Diego ranks 11th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 64% above the state median of $1,725 and about 166% above the national median county at $1,063. About 3,288,774 people live here, 2nd in the state.

Live asking rents in San Diego

The county FMR next to what landlords are asking in San Diego right now

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,750 in 92004 (Borrego Springs) and $4,230 in 92118 (Coronado), with the 174 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
91901	Alpine	$2,610	-7.5%
91902	Bonita	$2,870	+1.7%
91903	Alpine	$2,820	-0.1%
91905	Boulevard	$2,640	-6.5%
91906	Campo	$2,080	-26.3%
91908	Bonita	$2,820	-0.1%
91909	Chula Vista	$2,823County rate	—
91910	Chula Vista	$2,590	-8.3%
91911	Chula Vista	$2,660	-5.8%
91912	Chula Vista	$2,820	-0.1%
91913	Chula Vista	$3,740	+32.5%
91914	Chula Vista	$4,120	+45.9%
91915	Chula Vista	$3,810	+35.0%
91916	Descanso	$2,820	-0.1%
91917	Dulzura	$2,730	-3.3%
91921	Chula Vista	$2,820	-0.1%
91931	Guatay	$3,060	+8.4%
91932	Imperial Beach	$2,590	-8.3%
91933	Imperial Beach	$2,820	-0.1%
91934	Jacumba	$2,790	-1.2%
91935	Jamul	$2,730	-3.3%
91941	La Mesa	$2,630	-6.8%
91942	La Mesa	$2,840	+0.6%
91943	La Mesa	$2,820	-0.1%
91944	La Mesa	$2,820	-0.1%
91945	Lemon Grove	$2,350	-16.8%
91946	Lemon Grove	$2,820	-0.1%
91948	Mount Laguna	$2,810	-0.5%
91950	National City	$2,220	-21.4%
91951	National City	$2,820	-0.1%
91962	Pine Valley	$3,290	+16.5%
91963	Potrero	$2,820	-0.1%
91976	Spring Valley	$2,820	-0.1%
91977	Spring Valley	$2,420	-14.3%
91978	Spring Valley	$2,940	+4.1%
91979	Spring Valley	$2,820	-0.1%
91980	Tecate	$2,820	-0.1%
91987	Tecate	$2,823County rate	—
92003	Bonsall	$2,760	-2.2%
92004	Borrego Springs	$1,750	-38.0%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to San Diego.

Riverside County

64 mi · 2,478,600 people

$2,103

-26%

Orange County

75 mi · 3,165,820 people

$3,057

+8%

Imperial County

88 mi · 180,202 people

$1,347

-52%

San Bernardino County

101 mi · 2,197,104 people

$2,103

-26%

Los Angeles County

108 mi · 9,808,667 people

$2,964

+5%

Ventura County

148 mi · 837,469 people

$2,424

-14%

Kern County

195 mi · 915,075 people

$1,656

-41%

Santa Barbara County

204 mi · 443,701 people

$3,106

+10%

Questions people ask

$2,823 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $2,192 for a studio, $2,335 for one bedroom, $3,743 for three and $4,526 for four.

Tools for this county

All California counties All states

Fair Market Rent lookup

Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count

Section 8 rent calculator

Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent

What is Fair Market Rent?

How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords

Rent affordability calculator

The income a household needs for a given rent