3-bed rent in Santa Cruz: what is fair
The middle half of 3-bed listings ask between $4,125 and $5,375 a month, with a median of $4,548.
By area, the median runs from $4,100 in Watsonville to $5,250 in Capitola. 23 of 72 listings with enough local data (32%) ask 10% or more above similar listings nearby: those are the ones to open under asking. The median listing has been up 26 days, and 42 of 102 show a price cut in the last four months.
3-bed rent by area
| Area | Listings | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Overpriced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | 46 | $4,200 | $4,872 | $5,737 | 40% |
| Watsonville | 29 | $3,750 | $4,100 | $4,302 | – |
| Aptos | 16 | $4,575 | $4,900 | $5,962 | – |
| Capitola | 8 | $4,221 | $5,250 | $5,996 | – |
Other sizes
Median and percentiles are asking rents of whole-home rental listings seen active in the period, rooms and short-term rentals excluded. Overpriced is the share asking 10% or more above what similar listings nearby ask (the lower of our estimate and the median of at least three comparable listings), counted only among listings with enough local data and shown once there are 20. Cells with fewer than 5 listings are not quoted.
Page refreshed Sep 29, 2026, from listings seen active on Sep 20, 2026. Refreshed monthly. Source: public rental listings collected by Lowball; estimates from our model (see accuracy).