Timing a Long Beach lease is a real decision right now. You can use the numbers as a clear starting point. Zumper reports a median rent of $1,995 per month as of August 2026, while Zillow reports a citywide average of $2,100 across all property types as of August 4, 2026. Rents are flat to slightly down year over year, and with more units available than in 2022–2023, renters have more room to negotiate. You can use those two facts to frame your housing decision this year. On Zumper's measure, Long Beach also prices below Torrance and Huntington Beach.
Average rent in Long Beach, CA at a glance
The average rent in Long Beach depends on who's measuring. The Zumper median of $1,995 covers all property types, while the RentCafe average is $2,702 because it samples only apartment buildings with 50+ units, which skews high. The Apartment List median is $1,782 across a broader listing pool. If you're sizing a listing against your own budget, Zumper and Zillow are the most useful reference points:
- Zumper puts the median at $1,995 (August 4, 2026)
- Zillow's citywide average is $2,100 (August 4, 2026)
- Year over year: flat per Zumper and Zillow; −1.0% per Apartment List
- Month over month: down $45 per Zillow
- Long Beach runs about 4% above Zillow's August platform average for the U.S. of $2,010
Long Beach rent by apartment size
Unit size is one of the clearest price drivers in the available data. A studio apartment anchors the low end, and the rent range widens sharply as bedroom count rises. The spread between sources reflects the same methodology gap noted above. We use Zumper's August 2026 medians and derive each low-to-high range from Apartment List data, Apartments.com listings, Zillow, RentCafe, and Rent.com data:
- Unit type | Median rent (Zumper) | Range across sources
- Studio | $1,500 | $1,443–$1,958
- 1BR | $1,845 | $1,592–$2,469
- 2BR | $2,450 | $1,950–$3,814
- 3BR | $3,595 | $2,501–$4,130
- 4BR | $4,395 | $4,395–$5,348
Active listings citywide span $725 to $20,000 per month on Zillow, from shared rooms to luxury waterfront units. On a price per square feet basis, the Downtown Long Beach average is $3.20 per Zumper, while Long Beach Post data puts the rest of the city at about $2.66. The two figures come from different datasets, so treat the Downtown premium as roughly 20% rather than exact when comparing rentals by square footage.
Long Beach rent by neighborhood
The RentCafe neighborhoods below span $1,633 per month from the most affordable neighborhoods to the priciest. RentCafe neighborhood data from July 15, 2026 shows the pattern:
- Neighborhood | Average rent
- East Village | $3,466
- West End Long Beach | $2,932
- Alamitos Beach | $2,531
- Belmont Shore | $2,406
- Willmore City | $2,289
- Los Cerritos | $2,168
- Bixby Knolls | $2,145
- Bluff Heights | $1,833
Downtown Long Beach carries a median of $3,205 in Realtor.com data as of May 2026. In Belmont Shore, the Zumper neighborhood breakdown for August 2026 shows a $2,195 overall median: $2,225 for a 1BR, $2,995 for a 2BR, and $4,350 for a 3BR.
At the ZIP level, Realtor.com's May 2026 medians run $3,082 in coastal 90803 and $3,000 in Downtown-area 90802, down to $2,300 in 90804, $2,000 in 90813, and $1,895 in 90806. RentCafe's apartment-only averages for the same areas land higher: $2,385 in 90804 and $2,144 in 90813.
Most affordable and most expensive neighborhoods in Long Beach
The most affordable neighborhoods and priciest ones below come from different trackers measuring different property universes, so the two columns are not strictly comparable. Zumper's all-property-type median puts Willmore City lowest at $1,652, while RentCafe's large-building-only average for the same neighborhood is $2,289.
- Most affordable | Rent | Most expensive | Rent
- Willmore City (Zumper) | $1,652 | East Village (RentCafe) | $3,466
- Washington School (Zumper) | $1,695 | Downtown Long Beach | $3,021–$3,205
- Park Estates (RentCafe) | $1,740 | West End Long Beach (RentCafe) | $2,932
- Saint Mary (Zumper) | $1,755 | Naples (Redfin data, Sept 2025) | $2,885
- Hamilton (RentCafe) | $1,848 | Traffic Circle (RentCafe) | $2,793
- DeForest Park (RentCafe) | $1,857 | Marina Pacifica (Apartments.com data, April 2025) | $2,786
The Downtown range spans two vintages: Apartments.com's $3,021 is April 2025 data, as is its $2,944 for Belmont Shore, while the $3,205 top end is Realtor.com's May 2026 median.
By ZIP code, 90813 is the most consistently affordable across four independent trackers, while 90808, at $3,117 per Repit, and 90803 are the most expensive. ZIP 90810 ranks lowest in HUD rent benchmarks at $2,110 for a 2-bedroom in FY2026.
How Long Beach rent compares to the national average and nearby cities
Among the nearby cities in the table, Long Beach has the lowest Zumper overall median. The table uses Zumper's overall medians for consistent methodology across cities:
- City | Median rent | YoY change
- Long Beach | $1,995 | Flat
- Los Angeles data | $2,510 | −7.0%
- Anaheim rent data | $2,542 | −1%
- Torrance rent data | $2,895 | +~2%
- Huntington Beach data | $3,400 | Flat
- U.S. national | $1,388 (Apartment List) / $1,965 (Zillow) | Not reported
The two national figures use different methodologies than Zumper's city medians.
That makes Long Beach $900 to $1,405 a month cheaper than Torrance and Huntington Beach on Zumper's overall median. Against the national numbers, Long Beach sits well above Apartment List's U.S. median and modestly above the typical U.S. asking rent of $1,965 in Zillow's rent index. Long Beach rents align more closely with the inner LA basin than with Orange County beach cities.
Long Beach rent trends: is rent going up or down?
Four broad-market trackers point to the same Long Beach rent trends: flat to slightly declining:
- Source | YoY change | MoM change
- Zillow | 0% | −$45
- Apartment List | −1.0% | −0.3%
- Zumper | Flat | −2%
- Doorstead data | −0.93% | −0.07%
RentCafe, which measures large institutional buildings only, shows +0.91% growth. Long Beach officials approved 5,210 units from 2023 to 2025, the highest three-year total since the 1980s, while developers increased construction starts from 703 in 2021 to 1,704 in 2024. That added inventory coincides with softer rents. Average time on market has stretched to 78 days.
On market temperature, call it soft-to-balanced and tilting toward renters. Zillow labels it "WARM" with 1,768 active rentals, and the RentCafe competitiveness index for Eastern LA County dropped 10.4 points year over year, the steepest decline in the country. Across the LA multifamily market, Class A vacancy hit 9.8%, and an LA multifamily report says luxury landlords are offering one to two months free rent and other perks as luxury leasing fell roughly 20% year over year. Renters looking at newer properties should ask about current concessions.
What salary do you need to afford rent in Long Beach?
Under the 30% rule, a Long Beach 1-bedroom requires roughly $64,000 to $76,000 in annual income, and a 2-bedroom requires $78,000 to $103,000, depending on which rent figure you use:
- Benchmark | 1BR rent | Salary needed | 2BR rent | Salary needed
- Apartment List median | $1,592 | $63,680 | $1,950 | $78,000
- Zillow average | $1,895 | $75,800 | $2,583 | $103,320
The Census Bureau reports Long Beach's median household income as $87,430 in its QuickFacts data. A renter at that income clears the 1BR threshold on both measures above but falls short of the 2BR figure on Zillow's numbers. The city's housing element says 43% of households pay more than 30% of income toward rent. That income ceiling limits how many renters can qualify for a 2BR.
Best time of year to rent in Long Beach
Long Beach breaks the usual seasonality script. Zillow's 2025 monthly data shows winter (December–February) averaging about $2,158 against a summer average of $2,098, making winter roughly 2.75% more expensive. That's the reverse of the broader LA metro, where RentHop seasonal data shows peak pricing May through September and the cheapest rents in November and December, with a swing of about 2.3% for 1BR units and 3.2% for 2BR units.
Either way, the seasonal spread in Long Beach stays under 3%, small enough that timing matters less than concession hunting. Nationally, Zillow found that landlords or property managers offered concessions on 41% of rentals in December, the highest of any month. Some LA-area Class A landlords are offering one to two months free, so renters should ask newer Long Beach buildings about current concessions. Renter competition nationally peaks in May and June, which supports searching in late fall or winter if you want to avoid the busiest months.
Additional costs to budget when renting in Long Beach
Rent is only the base number. The full cost of living in Long Beach adds recurring costs that typically run $300 to $500 a month on top of rent:
- Utilities, including electricity, heat, water, and garbage, run $168 per month to $227 per month for a typical apartment. The SCE residential bill averages $193 per month at 500 kWh.
- Internet averages $59 per month for 60+ Mbps broadband.
- Parking spans $45 to $155 per month; ParkLB garages charge $45 to $55, and street parking permits cost $34 per year for up to three permits.
- Pet rent runs $25 to $75 per month per pet at current Long Beach listings, with pet deposits from $0 to $500. Civil Code §1950.5 caps total security deposits, pet deposits included, at one month's rent for most landlords.
- Renters insurance typically costs $15 to $20 per month in Long Beach.
Two regulatory items affect what renters can expect. First, AB 1482 caps annual rent increases at 5% plus regional CPI or 10%, whichever is lower; for the Los Angeles area, the maximum rent increase is 8.7% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The exemption can apply when an individual rather than a corporation or covered institutional owner owns the single-family home or condo and the landlord gives the tenant the required written exemption notice. Second, Long Beach rent rules include no local rent control ordinance, but LBMC Chapter 8.99 layers just-cause eviction rules on top of state law and requires relocation assistance for no-fault terminations: the greater of $4,500 or two months' rent for demolition or substantial remodel, and one month's rent otherwise. The landlord must pay within 15 days of notice. Investors underwriting a Long Beach rental should price landlord insurance in Long Beach alongside these carrying costs; get a quote in minutes at quote.steadily.com.
FAQ
What is the average rent in Long Beach right now?
As of August 2026, the median is $1,995 per Zumper and the average is $2,100 per Zillow. Apartment List's broader median is $1,782, and RentCafe's large-building average is $2,702.
How much does rent cost by unit size?
Zumper's August 2026 medians: $1,500 for a studio, $1,845 for a 1BR, $2,450 for a 2BR, $3,595 for a 3BR, and $4,395 for a 4BR.
What are the cheapest and most expensive neighborhoods?
Willmore City ($1,652) and Washington School ($1,695) rank among the cheapest. East Village ($3,466) and Downtown ($3,021–$3,205 depending on source) rank among the priciest.
How does Long Beach compare to nearby cities and the national average?
Long Beach's $1,995 median undercuts Los Angeles ($2,510), Anaheim ($2,542), Torrance ($2,895), and Huntington Beach ($3,400). On Zillow's average measure, Long Beach's $2,100 rent runs about 4% above the national average of $2,010.
Is rent in Long Beach going up or down?
Down slightly. Year-over-year changes range from 0% (Zillow, Zumper) to −1.0% (Apartment List), with month-over-month declines of $45 to 2%.
What income do you need to afford rent in Long Beach?
Roughly $64,000 to $76,000 per year for a 1BR and $78,000 to $103,000 for a 2BR under the 30% rule. The city's median household income is $87,430.
When is the best time to search for a rental in Long Beach?
Long Beach's own seasonal swing is under 3%, and Zillow's 2025 data showed summer slightly cheaper than winter. Across the LA metro, November through February brings the lowest rents and the most concessions.
What extra costs should renters budget for?
Plan on $168 to $227 for utilities, about $59 for internet, $45 to $155 for parking, $25 to $75 per pet in monthly pet rent, and $15 to $20 for renters insurance, or roughly $300 to $500 per month beyond base rent.
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