Cheapest Places to Live Along the Metro E Line for UCLA & USC Students

Last updated: October 29, 2026. By the Apartments Club Editorial Team.

The Metro E Line runs from Downtown Los Angeles past USC and on to Culver City, the Westside and Santa Monica. For students, it connects two of the city’s big campuses and runs through a wide range of rent levels. Zillow’s September 2026 data shows typical rents along the line from about $2,136 to about $3,683 a month, depending on the ZIP.

This is part three of our Student Housing Near UCLA & USC series, after where to live near UCLA and living near USC on a budget. Here we follow the line from east to west. Station names and service change over time, so check the official map at metro.net before you pick an apartment.

About the numbers: every rent figure in this article comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), ZIP-code level, all homes plus multifamily, smoothed, for September 2026 (the latest month published when we wrote this), compared with September 2025. ZORI measures the typical asking rent for listed units in the middle of the market (roughly the 35th to 65th percentile), so it covers all unit sizes together. It is not a per-bedroom figure, and you will find listings above and below it. ZIP codes don’t line up exactly with neighborhood borders, so read each ZIP as an approximation of the area named next to it.

E Line ZIP codes, east to west

ZIP	Area (approx.)	Typical rent, Sep 2026	Change vs Sep 2025
90015	Downtown South Park (near 7th St/Metro Center & Pico)	$2,775	+1.8%
90007	University Park (Jefferson/USC, Expo Park/USC)	$2,242	+3.8%
90037	Exposition Park south (Expo/Vermont)	$2,434	-0.8%
90018	Jefferson Park (Expo/Western)	$2,219	-4.1%
90008	Baldwin Hills / Crenshaw (Expo/Crenshaw)	$2,136	-0.6%
90016	West Adams (Farmdale, Expo/La Brea, La Cienega/Jefferson)	$3,296	-1.9%
90232	Culver City (Culver City station)	$3,683	+1.3%
90034	Palms (Palms station)	$2,728	+0.3%
90064	Rancho Park (Westwood/Rancho Park)	$3,492	+2.3%
90025	West LA / Sawtelle (Expo/Sepulveda, Expo/Bundy)	$3,216	+0.3%

Source: Zillow ZORI, ZIP level, September 2026 vs September 2025.

Why the E Line matters to students

USC has two stations on the edge of campus, Expo Park/USC and Jefferson/USC. UCLA has no station on the line, but the Expo/Sepulveda and Westwood/Rancho Park stations are a short bus or bike ride from Westwood. That means a USC student can live anywhere along the line, and a UCLA student who lives near a western station can avoid driving and parking in Westwood. The line’s biggest benefit for budgets is that it opens up the cheaper ZIPs in the middle.

The cheap middle: Jefferson Park to Crenshaw

The stretch from Expo/Vermont to Expo/Crenshaw (90037, 90018, 90008) has some of the lowest typical rents on the line. For USC students, this is the sweet spot: a few stops from class at well below the citywide typical rent of about $2,772.

The Westside end: shorter UCLA trips, higher rent

Palms (90034) is the cheapest Westside ZIP on the line, and it’s a favorite with UCLA grad students. Farther west, rents in Rancho Park and West LA climb toward Westwood’s level. Culver City is a separate city with its own rental rules. Our Culver City neighborhood guide covers it, and the 90232 ZIP near the station has one of the higher typical rents in this table.

How to weigh a longer ride

Compare the monthly rent difference with your time and fare. If moving two stops farther out saves a few hundred dollars a month, that adds up over a 12-month lease. Factor in late-night lab or library hours too. Living a short walk from a station matters more than the station’s name. Our how much rent can I afford guide helps you set a budget first.

Student-specific tips

• Use your school’s off-campus housing office. UCLA Housing runs a Community Housing Office, and USC Housing has off-campus resources. Both list rentals and offer guidance for students renting in the neighborhood.
• Splitting with roommates is the biggest lever. The typical rents below cover all unit sizes. A two-bedroom shared by two people is usually far cheaper per person than a studio. Put the split in writing. Our roommate agreement guide shows you how.
• Plan for a guarantor. Many landlords ask students without income history for a co-signer. Have that paperwork ready. Our rental application tips cover what to bring.
• Lease timing. Most leases near campus turn over in summer. Starting your search in spring gives you more choice. If you need to leave early, read how breaking a lease works before you sign a 12-month lease for a 9-month school year.
• Transit passes. LA Metro offers discounted passes for college students through participating schools. Check current options at metro.net/riding/fares and with your school’s transportation office.

Frequently asked questions

How often is this rent data updated?

Zillow publishes ZORI once a month, usually around the middle of the month, covering the previous month. We plan to refresh the tables in this series when new data comes out. You can always download the raw files from Zillow Research yourself.

Why does my listing search show higher prices than the table?

Listing sites usually sort by newest or featured, and newer, larger and renovated units get the most exposure. ZORI is a middle-of-the-market measure across all unit sizes, so a typical studio will often cost less than the figure shown and a typical two-bedroom more. Use the table to compare areas, not to predict the rent on any one apartment.

Is a rent-stabilized apartment always cheaper?

Not on day one. Under the RSO, a landlord can generally set the rent at market rate when a new tenant moves in. The benefit is that annual increases afterward are limited to the amount the city sets each year. The LA Housing Department publishes the current allowable increase. Over a multi-year stay, that limit can be worth more than a lower starting rent somewhere else.

Are these areas safe?

Safety varies block by block, so we don’t rate whole ZIP codes. Visit at night and on weekends, talk to current tenants if you can, and check the LAPD’s official crime mapping and statistics for the exact address.

Before you sign: how to make a cheaper neighborhood actually cheaper

A lower rent only helps if the rest of the deal holds up. Some checks to run on any listing in these ZIPs:

• Find out if the unit is rent-stabilized. In the City of Los Angeles, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) generally covers rental units built on or before October 1, 1978. These areas have plenty of older buildings, so an RSO unit is common, and that limits how much your rent can go up each year. You can look up any address on the LA Housing Department site. Newer buildings may still fall under California’s statewide cap (AB 1482).
• Know the deposit rules. Since July 1, 2024, California’s AB 12 caps most security deposits at one month’s rent. Our guide on getting your security deposit back covers what happens when you move out.
• Budget for the full monthly cost. Add parking, utilities and renters insurance, then run the total through our rent affordability calculator. Our guide to how much rent you can afford explains the 30% rule and where it falls short.
• Watch for scams. Below-market listings attract fake ones. Read how to spot a rental scam before you send money to anyone.
• Get your application ready early. Good-value units in these ZIPs go fast. Our rental application tips cover the documents landlords ask for.

Looking, or renting one out?

Our free Apartments Club rentals board is new. Landlords and property managers in these neighborhoods can list a rental for free. If you’re still deciding where to live, start with our LA neighborhood guides.

Featured image: View of Palms station, Los Angeles Metro.jpg by Jengod, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), as cited in the text above. Figures reflect the data release noted where they appear; listings and prices change. How we source and update data: Editorial Standards & Sources.