Where in Southern California are rents falling?

A typical Southern California tenant saw little change in what they paid the landlord over the past year – but the lower your rent, the better the odds your housing costs were falling.

My trusty spreadsheet reviewed January’s rental stats from ApartmentList, which tracks costs by combining federal housing figures and pricing patterns from its own listing service for 51 cities in the six-county Southern California region. The stats include both apartments and rental homes.

Let us start with the regional context.

Southern California’s median one-year change for overall rents across 51 cities was zero. Yes, flat. The typical renter paid $1,942 for a one-bedroom unit or $2,378 for two bedrooms.

The gap

January’s swings were evenly split: rent fell in 25 cities, rose in 25 – and Rancho Santa Margarita had flat rents.

Ponder where rents declined. The median rent drop was 1.6% over the year in these 25 cities. Tenants typically paid $1,799 for a one-bedroom place or $2,268 for two bedrooms.

Now think about where rents rose. A median 1.5% incre...