A WALK AROUND TOWN
Downtown Downey Walking Tour (AA: Ep. 88)
A recorded city visit shared by Alex Trinh. This is not a live camera or current conditions report.
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Living here
Average rent in Downey
What renters actually pay, by number of bedrooms, and how Downey compares with California and the US.
Median rent
$1,892/mo
40% above US
1 bedroom
$1,641/mo
39% above US
2 bedrooms
$2,031/mo
52% above US
Renters paying 30%+ of income
59%
US 50%
Renter households
17,130
Rent by number of bedrooms
Studio$1,640a month38% above USIncome needed: $65,600/yr
1 bedroom$1,641a month39% above USIncome needed: $65,640/yr
2 bedrooms$2,031a month52% above USIncome needed: $81,240/yr
3 bedrooms$2,458a month64% above USIncome needed: $98,320/yr
4 bedrooms$2,484a month33% above USIncome needed: $99,360/yr
Median gross rent (contract rent plus utilities) for occupied rental units, by bedrooms. Income needed uses the 30% rule.
How Downey compares
- Downey$1,640
- California$1,531
- United States$1,185
- Downey$1,641
- California$1,709
- United States$1,180
- Downey$2,031
- California$2,014
- United States$1,338
- Downey$2,458
- California$2,262
- United States$1,500
Two-bedroom rent in nearby cities
- Downey$2,031
- Norwalk$2,006
- Pico Rivera$1,815
- South Gate$1,629
- Whittier$1,894
- Cerritos$2,689
- Carson$1,717
- Alhambra$1,956
- El Monte$1,729
- Downey59%
- Norwalk58%
- Pico Rivera65%
- South Gate55%
- Whittier58%
- Cerritos40%
- Carson52%
- Alhambra54%
- El Monte59%
Nearby cities are other Local City Network guides in California, nearest first.
What rent can you afford?
$
At 30% of income you can spend about $2,031 a month.
- Studio $1,640
- 1 bedroom $1,641
- 2 bedrooms $2,031
- 3 bedrooms $2,458
- 4 bedrooms $2,484
Green means the median Downey rent for that size fits your budget. Landlords often ask for income of 2.5–3× the monthly rent.
How stretched are renters?
59% of Downey renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent, and 25% spend half or more. The typical renter household puts 33.8% of its income toward rent (US: 50% and 25%).
Rent by zip code
Median gross rent for each ZIP Code Tabulation Area that overlaps Downey.
HUD fair market rents
Studio$2,151
1 bedroom$2,402
2 bedrooms$2,964
3 bedrooms$3,760
4 bedrooms$4,208
HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area are the payment benchmarks for housing vouchers (about the 40th percentile of recent movers’ rents), so they often differ from the medians above.
More on living in Downey
Neighborhoods of Downey
See Downey
Questions
What is the average rent in Downey?
The median gross rent (rent plus utilities) is $1,892 a month, 3% below the California median and 40% above the national median.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Downey?
The median one-bedroom rents for $1,641 a month (US: $1,180).
How much is a two-bedroom in Downey?
The median two-bedroom rents for $2,031 a month (US: $1,338).
How much do you need to make to rent in Downey?
Using the common 30% rule, a median two-bedroom ($2,031) takes a household income of about $81,240 a year, and a one-bedroom about $65,640.
Is rent affordable in Downey?
About 59% of Downey renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent, and 25% spend at least half (US: 50% and 25%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables B25031, B25070 and B25071). Estimates have margins of error; figures are in 2023 dollars.