Bay Area Residents Spending More On Rent Each Year Than Before Recession

San Francisco. Though Prices Have Dropped A Bit Recently, It Remains The Most Expensive Place To Rent An Apartment In The Country.

Bay Area rents are eating away at household incomes more than in past years. San Jose renters are spending 39% of their monthly incomes on rents, or $13,525 more than previous years as of Q3. Before the recession, rent accounted for 26% of monthly incomes. This increase is more than any other metro analyzed in a recent Zillow report.

The second-biggest increase was in San Francisco, where renters are paying $11,236 more on rents, or 42.4% of monthly incomes compared to before the recession when renters spent 30% of monthly income on rent. Sacramento, comparatively, had a minimal increase of $37 annually for renters, who are spending 31.8% of their monthly incomes on rent.

National rents require 29.1% of median monthly income, nearly $2K more than before the recession when renters spent 25.8% of their monthly median income on housing.

Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell said putting more income toward rent means people have less income to pay off student debt, build an emergency fund or save for retirement. It also means less money for a down payment on a home.

“This is another example of how much worse rent affordability has gotten,” Gudell said.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's San Francisco Newsletters
Related Stories

Power Availability Becomes New Requirement For Shifting Bay Area Industrial Base

Developers Line Up To Convert Boston Offices To Housing, But Most Still Stuck At Starting Gate

To Rein In Costs, Philly Affordable Housing Players Look To Become 'Less Reliant On Consultants'

Rent Concessions Dip As Fewer Apartments Come Online

AvalonBay, Equity Residential Selling Boston Towers As Part Of Merger Settlement

IRES Looks To More Forward Funding As Resi Market Gathers Pace

Knightvest Capital Acquires 3 Multifamily Communities In Austin

Builders Turning To Prefab Solutions As Speed To Delivery Becomes Critical Consideration

Maturing Debt Triggers Wave Of Distressed Hotel Sales Across California

Millennium Partners Lands $281M Loan For Winthrop Center Tower

Vivmark Details Merged Entity, Becomes Largest U.S. Apartment REIT By Far

Making The Case For Preconstruction As Risk Management