Apartments for Rent in Santa Barbara, CA

Prices and availability in Santa Barbara, CA were last updated on 17 Sep 2026.

The best apartments in Santa Barbara, CA are: The Marc, Rancho Franciscan Senior Apartments, El Jardin, Coronel Place Apartments and La Brezza.

The average rent in Santa Barbara, CA is $2,899.

The price range for a studio apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $50 and $3,950.

The price range for a 1-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $908 and $4,345.

The price range for a 2-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $908 and $5,500.

The price range for a 3-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $908 and $7,100.

In Santa Barbara 60% of the housing is rented out compared to 40% of homes are owned, according to the most recent Census Bureau estimates. 6% of Santa Barbara's apartments are found in large buildings of 50 units or more, 70% are located in smaller apartment complexes with less than 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 Santa Barbara are about 48 years old, on average. Of these, 20% 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 3 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 Santa Barbara come in a range of sizes and floorplans. Studio apartments represent 17% 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 53% of the total apartments in the city, while 2-bedroom floorplans represent around 29% of all rentals in Santa Barbara. The rest are larger floorplans with 3 bedrooms or more, typically preferred by families, larger households or roommates sharing space.