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  1. California
  2. Carlsbad CA
Updated May 6, 2026

Average Rent in Carlsbad CA

1 apartment buildings, 16 units. Real prices pulled from each property's leasing system this morning.

Avg Rent

$3,370/mo

Cheapest

$2,425/mo

Properties

1

Units

16

Analysis

Rent Price Breakdown

Compare pricing across all 1 properties in Carlsbad CA.

Average Rent by Property

Starting Price vs Average

Rent by Bedroom Count

Price per Square Foot

Carlsbad CA Rent Prices

All 1 properties ranked by lowest available rent.

Explore Each Property

Carlsbad CA Average Rent Prices 2026

The average rent in Carlsbad CA is $3,370 per month, based on 16 units across 1 apartment communities. Prices range from $2,425 at Chamberlain Property Management to $2,425 at Chamberlain Property Management.

Average Rent by Bedroom Type

Type Avg Rent Starting From Units
1 Bed $2,563/mo $2,425/mo 5
2 Bed $3,516/mo $2,677/mo 8
3 Bed $3,700/mo $3,700/mo 1
4 Bed $4,638/mo $3,980/mo 2

Every price comes directly from each property's leasing system, updated that morning. Request a neighborhood we don't cover and we add it within 24 hours.

Market Context

Who rents in Carlsbad CA, and what they pay

Tracked one-bedroom rent in Carlsbad CA averages $2,563/mo, with two-bedroom units averaging $3,516/mo. At the local median household income of $139,326, that works out to 29% of gross income, near the 30 percent affordability ceiling.

The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2023 release pegged median gross rent in Carlsbad CA at $2,678/mo. The current tracked market average runs 26% higher than that benchmark, reflecting both two to three years of rent growth and the fact that the Census figure covers all renter-occupied housing in Carlsbad CA while the tracked market average covers units currently listed in larger apartment communities.

Who employs renters in San Diego

Demand in the San Diego rental market is shaped by the metro's largest private and public employers. The following organizations anchor local hiring and influence what renters can pay:

  • Callaway Golf
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • Viasat

Mean one-way commute in Carlsbad CA is 28 minutes, per the Census ACS, useful context when weighing which properties sit inside reasonable reach of these employers.

What salary do I need to live comfortably in Carlsbad CA?

Built on the 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Minimum to afford average rent

$135,000/year

30 percent rule -- using our average rent of $3,370/mo.

Comfortable income

$162,000/year

25 percent rule -- leaves more room for savings, transport, and groceries.

To afford the cheapest tracked apartment ($2,425/mo), you need to earn at least $97,000/year.

Median household income in Carlsbad CA is $139,326 , about 14% below the comfortable-living threshold.

Cost of living in Carlsbad CA

Overall prices in Carlsbad CA runs above the national average by about 11% (BEA Regional Price Parity index 110.7, where 100 equals the U.S. average). The breakdown below estimates monthly costs for a single adult, using national consumer-spending baselines from the Bureau of Labor Statistics scaled by Carlsbad CA's regional price parities.

Category Monthly estimate
Rent (market average) $3,370
Utilities $799
Groceries $552
Transportation $1,904
Healthcare $929
Other goods and services $1,486
Estimated total $9,040/mo

Population

114,500

Median household income

$139,326

Census median rent

$2,678/mo

Rent as % of income

34.5%

Median age

42.8

Mean commute

28 min

Methodology

Rent data

Sourced directly from each tracked apartment community and refreshed every 24 hours. Every listed unit price on this page is real and listed today.

Cost of living

Estimates combine national consumer-spending baselines from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Survey) with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (MARPP dataset). Both are peer-reviewed federal data releases published annually.

Salary to live comfortably

Applies the standard 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income rule on top of the listed rent. This is the same affordability guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Demographic figures

Median household income, population, median age, commute time, Census median rent, and rent as percentage of income come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the most recent complete release.

Cost of living and demographic figures were last published in 2023.

Rent Trends in Carlsbad CA

Track how apartment prices are changing over time.

View Rent Trends
Adding new buildings daily

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