HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Santa Barbara County, California (FY 2027)
$3,106 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Santa Barbara County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Santa Barbara is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$3,106
-0.6% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$2,795–$3,417
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$124,240
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
7th 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 | $2,479 | $2,231–$2,727 | $99,160 | $47.67/hr | +0.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,711 | $2,440–$2,982 | $108,440 | $52.13/hr | -1.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $3,106 | $2,795–$3,417 | $124,240 | $59.73/hr | -0.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,990 | $3,591–$4,389 | $159,600 | $76.73/hr | -2.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $4,557 | $4,101–$5,013 | $182,280 | $87.63/hr | -1.9% |
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 | $5,241 | $4,717–$5,765 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $5,924 | $5,332–$6,516 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $6,608 | $5,947–$7,269 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $7,291 | $6,562–$8,020 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Santa Barbara actually rent for?
Search any address in Santa Barbara for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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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 Santa Barbara somewhere between $2,795 and $3,417. 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.
$3,106 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $124,240 a year. Put another way, $60 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%$2,795 | Voucher pays at 100%$3,106 | Voucher pays at 110%$3,417 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $2,045 | $2,356 | $2,667 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,595 | $1,906 | $2,217 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2026 ($3,124) to FY 2027 ($3,106). Since FY 2020 it's up 34% in total, about 4.2% 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 | $1,684 | $1,964 | $2,324 | $3,101 | $3,572 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,728 | $2,015 | $2,374 | $3,137 | $3,589 | +2.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,875 | $2,157 | $2,516 | $3,316 | $3,790 | +6.0% |
| FY 2023 | $2,040 | $2,350 | $2,667 | $3,520 | $4,001 | +6.0% |
| FY 2024 | $2,330 | $2,651 | $2,994 | $3,996 | $4,528 | +12.3% |
| FY 2025 | $2,381 | $2,688 | $3,028 | $4,011 | $4,468 | +1.1% |
| FY 2026 | $2,459 | $2,746 | $3,124 | $4,075 | $4,647 | +3.2% |
| FY 2027In effect | $2,479 | $2,711 | $3,106 | $3,990 | $4,557 | -0.6% |
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 Santa Barbara, that runs from $2,479 for a studio up to $4,557 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Santa Barbara is its own HUD metro area (Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Santa Barbara ranks 7th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 80% above the state median of $1,725 and about 192% above the national median county at $1,063. About 443,701 people live here, 20th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,820 in 93254 (New Cuyama) and $4,360 in 93109 (Santa Barbara), with the 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93013 | Carpinteria | $3,430 | +10.4% |
| 93014 | Carpinteria | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93067 | Summerland | $3,430 | +10.4% |
| 93101 | Santa Barbara | $3,850 | +24.0% |
| 93102 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93103 | Santa Barbara | $3,620 | +16.5% |
| 93105 | Santa Barbara | $3,630 | +16.9% |
| 93106 | Santa Barbara | $3,360 | +8.2% |
| 93107 | Santa Barbara | $3,106County rate | — |
| 93108 | Santa Barbara | $3,690 | +18.8% |
| 93109 | Santa Barbara | $4,360 | +40.4% |
| 93110 | Santa Barbara | $3,540 | +14.0% |
| 93111 | Santa Barbara | $4,220 | +35.9% |
| 93116 | Goleta | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93117 | Goleta | $3,360 | +8.2% |
| 93118 | Goleta | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93120 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93121 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93130 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93140 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93150 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93160 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93190 | Santa Barbara | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93199 | Goleta | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93254 | New Cuyama | $2,820 | -9.2% |
| 93427 | Buellton | $3,250 | +4.6% |
| 93429 | Casmalia | $3,450 | +11.1% |
| 93434 | Guadalupe | $2,820 | -9.2% |
| 93436 | Lompoc | $2,820 | -9.2% |
| 93437 | Lompoc | $3,720 | +19.8% |
| 93438 | Lompoc | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93440 | Los Alamos | $2,980 | -4.1% |
| 93441 | Los Olivos | $3,560 | +14.6% |
| 93454 | Santa Maria | $2,820 | -9.2% |
| 93455 | Santa Maria | $3,410 | +9.8% |
| 93456 | Santa Maria | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93457 | Santa Maria | $3,110 | +0.1% |
| 93458 | Santa Maria | $2,890 | -7.0% |
| 93460 | Santa Ynez | $4,180 | +34.6% |
| 93463 | Solvang | $2,820 | -9.2% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Santa Barbara.
Ventura County
58 mi · 837,469 people
$2,424
-22%
San Luis Obispo County
67 mi · 281,555 people
$2,720
-12%
Kern County
88 mi · 915,075 people
$1,656
-47%
Los Angeles County
103 mi · 9,808,667 people
$2,964
-5%
Kings County
111 mi · 153,298 people
$1,512
-51%
Tulare County
126 mi · 478,693 people
$1,450
-53%
Orange County
134 mi · 3,165,820 people
$3,057
-2%
Fresno County
150 mi · 1,016,725 people
$1,685
-46%
Questions people ask
$3,106 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $2,479 for a studio, $2,711 for one bedroom, $3,990 for three and $4,557 for four.
Tools for this county
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
What does a rental in Santa Barbara actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Santa Barbara for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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