Apartments for Rent in Santa Barbara, CA

Prices and availability in Santa Barbara, CA were last updated on 27 Jul 2026.

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

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 $5,200.

The price range for a 1-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $908 and $5,200.

The price range for a 2-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $50 and $5,950.

The price range for a 3-bedroom apartment in Santa Barbara, CA is between $908 and $11,500.

In Santa Barbara, 60% of the residents are renting compared to 40% owning a home, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Large-scale apartment buildings with more than 50 units represent 6% of Santa Barbara's rentals, 70% 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 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.

Studio apartments in Santa Barbara are around 17% of rentals, while 1-bedroom floor plans represent 53% of the total stock. For those in search of larger rentals, 2-bedroom floorplans make up 29% of all rentals. More generous apartments with 3 bedrooms or more are also available in this city for those in search of more space.