How rent in Los Angeles stacks up against Orange County, San Francisco

Rent in Los Angeles continues to trump rent in Southern California’s other major cities. However, leasing space in L.A.’s office, industrial and multifamily properties is a bargain when compared with its Northern California cousins, San Francisco and the Silicon Valley.

The average monthly apartment rent in L.A.’s Westside, Downtown, South Bay and Tri-Cities markets was $1,811 in the fourth quarter, according to data from JLL. It was more expensive than San Diego’s $1,558 a month and Orange County’s $1,753 a month. However, that’s all chump change compared to the average rent in San Francisco: a steep $2,556 a month. It wasn’t much better in the San Jose market, which saw apartment rents average $2,080.

Similar patterns existed in the office market. The average monthly rent for a Class A office in Los Angeles was $3.23 a square foot a month in the fourth quarter, compared to $2.87 in Orange County and $3.14 in San Diego. It paled in comparison to rent in San Francisco, which was $6.01. Rent in the Silicon Valley was only slightly more expensive than it was in L.A., at $3.74.

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Industrial rents were actually more expensive in San Diego than they were in L.A. in the fourth quarter, by 11 cents a square foot. Los Angeles and Orange County both averaged 67 cents a square foot for industrial rent. The San Francisco average was $1.03, a touch higher than 97 cents in the Silicon Valley. – Hannah Miet