Apartments for Rent in Santa Maria, CA

Prices and availability in Santa Maria, CA were last updated on 1 Aug 2026.

The best apartments in Santa Maria, CA are: La Vista, Montiavo, Las Brisas, Siena Apartments and Azure Apartments.

The average rent in Santa Maria, CA is $2,360.

The price range for a studio apartment in Santa Maria, CA is between $1,095 and $3,505.

The price range for a 1-bedroom apartment in Santa Maria, CA is between $1,095 and $3,310.

The price range for a 2-bedroom apartment in Santa Maria, CA is between $1,095 and $3,892.

The price range for a 3-bedroom apartment in Santa Maria, CA is between $1,627 and $5,703.

In Santa Maria, 50% of the residents are renting compared to 50% owning a home, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Large-scale apartment buildings with more than 50 units represent 12% of Santa Maria's rentals, 50% are small-scale complexes with under 50 units, and 36% are single-family rentals.

The average age of rental buildings in Santa Maria is 30 years old, with 42% being newer apartment buildings completed since 2000. The average height of apartment buildings in the city is 2 stories, of which 97% are garden-style apartment communities, 3% are mid-sized buildings, and none are high-rises. These characteristics describe large-scale apartment communities of 50 apartments or more.

Rental apartments in Santa Maria come in a range of sizes and floorplans. Studio apartments represent 13% 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 34% of the total apartments in the city, while 2-bedroom floorplans represent around 40% of all rentals in Santa Maria. The rest are larger floorplans with 3 bedrooms or more, typically preferred by families, larger households or roommates sharing space.