Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: 2-bedroom payment standards across 23 ZIP codes
HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA range from $3,440 to $5,230 for a 2-bedroom. The 90th-percentile ZIP code runs 1.26× the 10th — a gap of $986 a month — which ranks 188th widest of the 247 HUD metro areas we compare.
median 2-bedroom SAFMR across the area's 23 ZIP codes. Where a housing authority sets a single metro-wide standard, it could reach $4,785 at 110%.
monthly gap between the 90th- and 10th-percentile ZIP code ($3,822 to $4,808).
of the area's ZIP codes (5 of 23) sit above $4,785 — 110% of the area median.
Highest-rent ZIP codes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Every ZIP code, ranked
The payment-standard column is HUD's published 90–110% band for that ZIP code — the range a housing authority may adopt without HUD approval. Your PHA sets the exact figure. The final column compares each ZIP to the area median; ZIP codes marked above 110% exceed 110% of that median — where a housing authority sets a single area-wide standard, those sit above the highest ceiling basic policy reaches.
| # | ZIP code | 2 BR SAFMR ▾ | Payment standard (90–110%) | vs area median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95060 | $5,230 | $4,707–$5,753 | above 110% |
| 2 | 95062 | $4,940 | $4,446–$5,434 | above 110% |
| 3 | 95003 | $4,810 | $4,329–$5,291 | above 110% |
| 4 | 95017 | $4,800 | $4,320–$5,280 | above 110% |
| 5 | 95065 | $4,800 | $4,320–$5,280 | above 110% |
| 6 | 95066 | $4,550 | $4,095–$5,005 | 105% |
| 7 | 95018 | $4,520 | $4,068–$4,972 | 104% |
| 8 | 95041 | $4,520 | $4,068–$4,972 | 104% |
| 9 | 95005 | $4,430 | $3,987–$4,873 | 102% |
| 10 | 95007 | $4,370 | $3,933–$4,807 | 100% |
| 11 | 95010 | $4,360 | $3,924–$4,796 | 100% |
| 12 | 95033 | $4,350 | $3,915–$4,785 | 100% |
| 13 | 95073 | $4,300 | $3,870–$4,730 | 99% |
| 14 | 95006 | $4,240 | $3,816–$4,664 | 97% |
| 15 | 95001 | $4,210 | $3,789–$4,631 | 97% |
| 16 | 95061 | $4,210 | $3,789–$4,631 | 97% |
| 17 | 95063 | $4,210 | $3,789–$4,631 | 97% |
| 18 | 95067 | $4,210 | $3,789–$4,631 | 97% |
| 19 | 95077 | $4,210 | $3,789–$4,631 | 97% |
| 20 | 94060 | $3,870 | $3,483–$4,257 | 89% |
| 21 | 95019 | $3,810 | $3,429–$4,191 | 88% |
| 22 | 95064 | $3,810 | $3,429–$4,191 | 88% |
| 23 | 95076 | $3,440 | $3,096–$3,784 | 79% |
How Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA compares
Its internal spread of 1.26× (p90 ÷ p10) ranks 188 of 247 HUD metro FMR areas, against a median of 1.37× and a national high of 1.77×. On the steadier p75 ÷ p25 measure it is 1.08×. See the full ranking and how it was measured →
A note on what this does not mean: a higher payment standard does not increase the assistance a household receives. It raises the ceiling on the rent a voucher can cover, while the household still pays roughly 30% of adjusted income. Figures are ZIP-weighted, not renter-weighted, and rest on 2019–2023 American Community Survey data trended forward.