This Is What Your Income Should Be To Rent In Temecula, Report Says

TEMECULA, CA ? It?s no secret that California is an expensive place to live, but just how much income does it take to rent comfortably these days?

With mortgage rates hovering near record highs and rents continuing to climb, a new report from Zillow finds that renters nationwide now need to earn at least $80,000 annually to afford a modest apartment ? up from $60,000 five years ago.

In California, the bar is even higher. Renters in major cities, coastal towns, and wine country communities must often make six figures to get by, according to the Zillow report, released earlier this month.

In Temecula, for example, the average rent in 2025 is $2,961 per month. That translates to an annual income of roughly $118,452 to meet the standard affordability guideline ? spending no more than 30 percent of one?s income on housing.

But that?s far from the reality for many. A household would need to make $100,000 a year to comfortably afford a $2,500 monthly rental, a threshold many renters struggle to meet.

Since April 2020, the national median rent has increased 28.7 percent to $1,858, while median household income has only risen 22.5 percent, now sitting at around $82,000.

?House costs have surged since pre-pandemic, with rents growing quite a bit faster than wages,? said Orphe Divounguy, senior economist at Zillow. ?This often leaves little room for other expenses, making it particularly difficult for those hoping to save for a down payment on a future home.?

Zillow identified eight major metro areas where renters must make at least $100,000 to afford a typical apartment:

• San Jose ($136,532 needed annually)
• San Francisco ($124,267)
• San Diego ($122,810)
• Los Angeles ($118,958)
• New York ($135,746)
• Boston ($127,007)
• Miami ($109,962)
• Riverside ($102,722)

In six of these cities, median-income renters would have to spend more than 30 percent of their earnings on rent. But in San Jose and San Francisco, wages have kept pace better. A typical San Jose household would spend 25 percent of its income on rent; in San Francisco, 28 percent.
On the flip side, Zillow identified some of California?s most affordable rental markets:

• Dinuba ($41,000 needed annually)
• La Cresta - Altavista ($50,600)
• Oroville ($54,333)
• Ridgecrest ($54,411)
• Paradise ($55,000)

To help renters estimate what they can afford, Zillow offers a rent affordability calculator.