California city guide
Watsonville, CAHousing costs & affordability
Watsonville has about 51,712 residents. Median gross rent is $1,889 per month, while median household income is $78,393.
Quick answer
What income supports the median rent?
A household would need about $75,600 per year to keep Watsonville's median gross rent near 30% of gross income. The 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 29%.
Elevated housing-cost benchmarkData scope: figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates. The latest official release was checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. The benchmark compares citywide medians and is designed for broad relocation research, not an individual budget or a live apartment search.
Good estimate precision Margins of error use the Census ACS 90% confidence level. Smaller geographies and subgroups can have wider uncertainty.
Personal rent check
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Compare Watsonville’s median rent with a 30% target based on your gross annual household income.
How Watsonville compares
Within California, Watsonville ranks #126 from lowest to highest rent among 340 covered places with usable rent estimates. Median rent is 14% above the dataset median. Household income ranks #276 from highest to lowest among 345 places with usable income estimates.
The citywide rent-to-income benchmark is between 25% and 30%. The rent-to-income benchmark is useful for comparing cities under one formula, but households with different incomes, unit sizes or debt loads will experience costs differently.
Renting snapshot
$22,668 in annual median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent totals about $22,668. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable in the ACS definition.
Buying snapshot
30.3x price-to-rent baseline
Median home value is about 30.3x annual median rent. This is a broad market comparison and does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance or maintenance.
Search terms, defined
How to read rent, home price and AMI searches
These distinctions keep the Census estimates comparable and prevent a historical survey measure from being mistaken for a live market quote.
- Average rent vs. median gross rent
- If you searched for the average rent in Watsonville, the closest consistent Census measure on this page is $1,889 median gross rent. It is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent, not a live average asking rent. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
- Home price vs. median home value
- The reported $686,000 median home value is the midpoint of owner estimates for owner-occupied homes. It is not an average sale price, listing price or current automated valuation.
- Household income vs. AMI
- The $78,393 median household income is a Census city estimate. It is not HUD Area Median Income (AMI), an AMI eligibility limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
Keep comparing
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Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Watsonville?
Median gross rent is $1,889 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average rent in Watsonville?
This page reports Census median gross rent of $1,889 per month, not a live average asking rent. Median is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent; gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
What income is needed for the median rent?
A gross household income of about $75,600 per year would keep median gross rent near 30% of income. This is a planning benchmark, not a landlord qualification rule.
Is housing affordable in Watsonville?
The citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 29%, which this site labels a elevated housing-cost benchmark. Individual costs can differ substantially.
Does this page report Area Median Income or AMI?
No. The $78,393 figure is Census median household income for the city. It is not HUD Area Median Income, an AMI limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
What is the median home value in Watsonville?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $686,000 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average home price in Watsonville?
This page reports a Census median owner-occupied home value of $686,000, not an average sale price, current listing price or real-time market estimate.
Trace every number
Data sources for Watsonville
2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates for Watsonville, California (Census place 0683668). Dollar estimates are in 2024 dollars. MOE means margin of error at 90% confidence.
Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens to see every source.
| Measure | Estimate | 90% MOE | Census source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rentUSD / month | $1,889 | ±$100 | B25064_001E |
| Median household incomeUSD / year | $78,393 | ±$5,682 | B19013_001E |
| Median owner-occupied home valueUSD | $686,000 | ±$24,605 | B25077_001E |
| PopulationPeople | 51,712 | ±34 | B01003_001E |
| Occupied housing unitsHousing units | 15,151 | ±578 | B25003_001E |
| Owner-occupied housing unitsHousing units | 6,793 | ±562 | B25003_002E |
Calculated separately: the $75,600 annual income target = $1,889 monthly gross rent × 12 ÷ 0.30, rounded to $100. Owner occupancy = owner-occupied units ÷ occupied units. These are derived benchmarks, not separate Census estimates. Missing or suppressed values are shown as “Not reported”; open-ended medians use a + or an “Under” label and are excluded from exact derived calculations; ranks use usable point estimates and do not establish statistically significant differences.
Good research deserves a source.
MoveCostCompare. “Housing costs in Watsonville, California.” U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. $1,889 median gross rent per month (90% MOE ±$100). https://movecostcompare.com/city/watsonville-california. Survey estimate, not live asking rent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.