San Luis Obispo County, California Housing Market Prices
San Luis Obispo County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 38% above the California median More expensive than 86% of counties in California$895,815
-
Median rent 2% below the California median More expensive than 70% of counties in California$1,991
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $895,815 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 8.2% | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,991 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 5.9% | 5.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in San Luis Obispo County is about 38% higher than in California. Rent is about 2% lower than the California average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in San Luis Obispo County, up about 8.2% and 5.9% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in San Luis Obispo County rose about 61.3% between 2015 and 2024, from $1,234 to $1,991. Over the same span, rent in California rose about 62.2%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 9.2 yearly household incomes in San Luis Obispo County.
Buying the median-priced home in San Luis Obispo County costs roughly 37.5 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in San Luis Obispo County. The price-to-rent ratio in California is about 26.6.
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $895,815 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $97,610 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 9.2 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in San Luis Obispo County rose about 132.8%, while median household income rose about 65.4% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 54.1% | 51.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 33.0% | 40.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 12.9% | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2012 | 2011 | 2011 |
San Luis Obispo County has a homeownership rate of 54.1%, higher than the California average of 51.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 12.9%, compared with 7.5% in California.
Housing Stock
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.43 people | 2.84 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1983 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in San Luis Obispo County was built around 1983. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 5.2 rooms, staying for about 14.0 years on average.
San Luis Obispo County, CA Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
San Luis Obispo County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 281,514 residents against a local median of 437,328. Where San Luis Obispo County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 61% above the local median of $555,382 at $895,815.
The counties themselves spread $482,751 on median home price, so San Luis Obispo County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Luis Obispo County, CA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 281,514 | $895,815 #1/6 | $1,991 #4/6 | 62.1% #2/6 |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | $300,000 | $1,331 | 54.2% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | $555,382 | $2,131 | 52.4% |
| Monterey County, CA | 437,328 | $782,751 | $2,055 | 52.1% |
| San Benito County, CA | 67,290 | $653,703 | $1,991 | 67.9% |
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | $428,895 | $1,392 | 55.5% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in San Luis Obispo County, California.
What is the median home price in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The median home price in San Luis Obispo County, California is $895,815, higher than the California average of $650,794.
What is the average home price in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The typical home price in San Luis Obispo County, California, reported as the median sale price, is $895,815. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The median gross rent in San Luis Obispo County, California is $1,991 per month, lower than the California average of $2,036.
What was the median gross rent in San Luis Obispo County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in San Luis Obispo County, California was $1,535 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The price-to-rent ratio in San Luis Obispo County, California is about 37.5, meaning it would take roughly 37.5 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in San Luis Obispo County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in San Luis Obispo County, California?
Both home prices and rent are rising in San Luis Obispo County, up about 8.2% and 5.9% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in San Luis Obispo County, California?
54.1% of households in San Luis Obispo County, California own their home, higher than the California average of 51.7%.
What is the vacancy rate in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The housing vacancy rate in San Luis Obispo County, California is 12.9%, higher than the California average of 7.5%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →