California’s Most Expensive ZIP Codes – Mission Bay, Presidio and Rincon Hill Put San Francisco Firmly at the Top

Highlights

• California’s top 3 priciest ZIPs have average rents higher than $4,000, exceeding the $1,316 national average by more than threefold
• 94129 in San Francisco’s Presidio ranks as California’s #1 most expensive ZIP code, averaging $4,762
• 90291 in Venice ranks as California’s 50^th most expensive ZIP with its $2,768 average rent, still more than double the national average
• Tech beats the silver screen—San Francisco is home to 10 of Cali’s priciest ZIPs, while Los Angeles boasts 5

Home to some of the hottest rental markets in the country, California is no stranger to sky-high residential prices. West Coast cities dominate fastest-growing rent lists, with the Golden State home to 8 of the country’s 15 fastest growing rental markets, according to Yardi Matrix. In fact, California took the #1 spot yet again with Stockton, where a 10.6% year-over-year expansion brought the average rent to $1,030 per month.

To see where exactly in California do renters face the highest prices, we dove head-first into Yardi Matrix data yet again, and made the list of California’s top 50 most expensive ZIP codes for renters. The interactive table below allows you to take a detailed look. Use the search box or click on the header of each column to sort results according to your preferences:

#	ZIP Code	City	County	Average Rent
1	94129	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$4,762
2	94105	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$4,380
3	94158	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$4,070
4	94107	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$3,738
5	94301	Palo Alto	Santa Clara County	$3,718
6	94025	Menlo Park	San Mateo County	$3,657
7	94103	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$3,588
8	90401	Santa Monica	Los Angeles County	$3,477
9	90405	Santa Monica	Los Angeles County	$3,423
10	90094	Playa Vista	Los Angeles County	$3,367
11	90007	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County	$3,268
12	94041	Mountain View	Santa Clara County	$3,265
13	95113	San Jose	Santa Clara County	$3,235
14	94063	Redwood City	San Mateo County	$3,209
15	94115	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$3,194
16	90292	Marina Del Rey	Los Angeles County	$3,187
17	94133	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$3,186
18	95014	Cupertino	Santa Clara County	$3,181
19	90048	West Hollywood	Los Angeles County	$3,162
20	94607	Oakland	Alameda County	$3,149
21	90024	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County	$3,146
22	94710	Berkeley	Alameda County	$3,130
23	94404	Foster City	San Mateo County	$3,083
24	94022	Los Altos	Santa Clara County	$3,042
25	94403	San Pablo	San Mateo County	$3,041
26	94401	San Mateo	San Mateo County	$3,039
27	90036	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County	$3,029
28	94014	Colma	San Mateo County	$3,017
29	94704	Berkeley	Alameda County	$3,009
30	95032	Los Gatos	Santa Clara County	$3,001
31	94306	Palo Alto	Santa Clara County	$2,998
32	94065	Redwood City	San Mateo County	$2,986
33	94066	San Bruno	San Mateo County	$2,981
34	94108	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$2,967
35	90403	Santa Monica	Los Angeles County	$2,915
36	94608	Oakland	Alameda County	$2,913
37	94040	Mountain View	Santa Clara County	$2,899
38	94131	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$2,895
39	94702	Berkeley	Alameda County	$2,892
40	94939	Larkspur	Marin County	$2,890
41	90232	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County	$2,882
42	94402	San Mateo	San Mateo County	$2,861
43	95134	San Jose	Santa Clara County	$2,859
44	90049	Brentwood	Los Angeles County	$2,857
45	95110	San Jose	Santa Clara County	$2,848
46	94903	San Rafael	Marin County	$2,820
47	94109	San Francisco	San Francisco County	$2,787
48	94941	Mill Valley	Marin County	$2,782
49	91105	Pasadena	Los Angeles County	$2,772
50	90291	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County	$2,768

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San Francisco Claims 5 Spots among California’s Top 10 Most Expensive ZIPs

Nestled up against Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco’s coveted Presidio, 94129 ranks as California’s #1 most expensive ZIP code. Rents here average a whopping $4,762, just a few dollars short of reaching 3.5 times the national average. The rent growth seems to have topped out, though—the current average rent is the result of a 2% year-over-year decrease, all this without new units having entered the market… Home to museums, trendy restaurants an abundance of parklands, nature trails and wooded areas, Presidio also showcases some of the most iconic vistas in the world—like the San Francisco Bay. The area has also seen significant commercial development over the past two decades, with the 23-acre Letterman Digital Arts Center home to some of the most coveted jobs in the city. Presidio also ranks as the 4^th most expensive ZIP code nationwide, surpassed only by Manhattan enclaves of affluence.

California’s second priciest ZIP code, 94105, is also located in San Francisco. Located in the South of Market area, specifically Rincon Hill, the average rent in 94105 clocks in at $4,380, making it the 9^th most expensive ZIP code for renters in the country. Here, a 21% y-o-y expansion of the rental stock has put a slight downward pressure on the average rent—yes, 94105 is the second priciest ZIP code in California in spite of a 3% moderation of the rents! The fashionable residential neighborhood of Gold Rush years, turned blighted industrial area at the turn of the 20^th century, has experienced a revival in recent years. Nowadays, many of the Financial District’s workers call the pedestrian-centric neighborhood home. High-income earners have their choice of pricey residential developments in the area, with luxury apartments particularly popular in the area’s iconic skyscrapers.

With an average rent of $4,070, 94158 in Mission Bay ranks as California’s 3^rd most expensive ZIP code. This is also the result of a 4% decrease from $4,252, due to a 9% inventory growth. Targeted for redevelopment since the late ‘90s, the Mission Bay of today is a vibrant hub of biotech and medical jobs as well as a vast collection of luxury residential buildings. Currently one of the trendiest spots in a city known for iconic neighborhoods, Mission Bay continues to gain traction with new projects, like the highly-anticipated Chase Center, the new home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

At #4 we have another one from The Golden City, 94107 with an average rent of $3,738. The $3,588 average rent in San Francisco’s fifth priciest ZIP code, 94103, was “only” enough for 7^th place on state level, as 94301 of Palo Alto and 94025 of Menlo Park have claimed the 5^th and 6^th spots with $3,718 $3,657, respectively.

Curious to see if other states’ priciest ZIPs can take California on? Move your cursor over another state:

While all this sounds like bad news for those who want to rent an apartment in San Francisco, there is a thin ray of hope. Rent growth has been steadily slowing down across the country, expanding only 1.5% over the past 13 months, and some of the hottest rental markets in country have seen rents dip. And you’d never guess: pricey San Francisco is leading the way here too, with a 3.3% contraction in rental prices over the past 13 months—not much, but certainly a slight relief for renters struggling to keep up with the past years’ price booms.

Methodology

• Data compilation, analysis, and mapping done by RentCafe using rent and construction data provided by Yardi Matrix, a RentCafe sister company.
• The average rent figures in this article were calculated from the actual rents charged in apartment buildings with at least 50 rental units, located in 125 U.S. markets, totaling approximately 15 million apartment units.
• ZIP codes with less than 200 rental units and less than 3 properties were excluded from the calculations.
• Average rent prices are as of March 2017.
• Rent pricies are for apartments only, no single-family homes or townhomes were included.