A Great Divide—Rents in Half Moon Bay

Rental costs in Half Moon Bay are polarized between homes north of Highway 92 and those south of the thoroughfare.

A new data-based website, Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks uses U.S. census information compiled from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey to show median household income and monthly rents by census tract.

The median rent in the neighborhoods is priciest north of Highway 92. There rents average $1,513 a month (in 2011 dollars), according to Census data.

The rents in the neighborhoods south of the highway are much cheaper, averaging $1,203 a month.

Of course, rents vary by type and size of home, but this is the basic breakdown from Census data. Average rents are more expensive in nearby Pacifica.

See more on the map above. The lighter the color, the cheaper the rent.

Are you surprised by any of the local data? Tell us in the comments section.

Don't expect it to get any cheaper to live here. An MSN Real Estate article published this spring named the 10 cities where rents will rise most this year. Nearby San Jose and San Francisco were the only California cities to make the list.

In San Francisco, the effective rent at end of 2012 was $1,970, a 5.7 percent increase from the year prior, and the forecasted effective rent growth in 2013 is 5.2 percent.

The average rent in California is $1,185 a month according to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey. Statewide middle rental-range is $996.00 to $1,193.00.

To see the data mapped out census tract by census tract, visit the Rich Block, Poor Blocks website.