Apartments for Rent in San Carlos, San Mateo County, CA

Prices and availability in San Carlos, San Mateo County, CA were last updated on 4 Sep 2026.

The best apartments in San Carlos, San Mateo County, CA are: Andalusia at Chestnut, Alrod Apartments, Greenwood Apts and Devonshire Apartments.

The average rent in San Carlos, San Mateo County, CA is $4,252.

In San Carlos, 32% of the residents are renting compared to 68% owning a home, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Large-scale apartment buildings with more than 50 units represent 5% of San Carlos's rentals, 72% are small-scale complexes with under 50 units, and 23% are single-family rentals.

The age and size of multifamily buildings are among the most visible characteristics of the rental market in a city. In this case, the apartment buildings in San Carlos are about 6 years old, on average. Of these, all have been built since 2000, representing the newer options on the market and typically offering more amenities. Rental buildings in the city have an average height of 4 stories. About all of the rental communities here are low-rise, garden-style communities, none are mid-rises, and none are high-rise buildings. These are true especially for large-scale multifamily buildings with over 50 apartments.

Rental apartments in San Carlos come in a range of sizes and floorplans. Studio apartments represent 0% of units for rent, ideal for singles, renters on a budget and people who value central locations more than space. Rentals with 1-bedroom floorplans make up 50% of the total apartments in the city, while 2-bedroom floorplans represent around 44% of all rentals in San Carlos. The rest are larger floorplans with 3 bedrooms or more, typically preferred by families, larger households or roommates sharing space.