Apartments Near Cal State LA: Rents by ZIP, Transit and Neighborhoods (2026)

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

California State University, Los Angeles sits on a hill east of Downtown, next to the 10 freeway and the border between the City of LA and the San Gabriel Valley. It is largely a commuter campus, and many students live with family or rent in nearby neighborhoods that are more affordable than the Westside. The campus has its own transit hub, which makes car-free living possible from a surprising number of places. This guide compares current rents in nearby ZIP codes and explains the options.

Rents in ZIP codes near Cal State LA

ZIP Area Zillow ZORI (Sep 2026) ZORI change vs Sep 2025 HUD SAFMR studio HUD SAFMR 1BR HUD SAFMR 2BR
90032 El Sereno / University Hills $2,555 +1.1% $1,620 $1,810 $2,260
90031 Lincoln Heights / Montecito Heights $2,177 -0.3% $1,530 $1,720 $2,140
90063 East Los Angeles $2,305 +7.3% $1,560 $1,750 $2,180
91801 Alhambra $2,750 +0.3% $2,060 $2,300 $2,870
90065 Mount Washington / Glassell Park / Cypress Park $2,857 +1.0% $1,980 $2,220 $2,770
90042 Highland Park / Eagle Rock (south) $2,634 +0.5% $2,070 $2,320 $2,890

Sources: Zillow ZORI (September 2026) and HUD FY2026 Small Area FMRs. See methodology below.

ZIP-by-ZIP notes

  • 90032 (El Sereno / University Hills): the typical Zillow asking rent rose over the past year (+1.1%) to $2,555. That is $745 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $1,810, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.
  • 90031 (Lincoln Heights / Montecito Heights): the typical Zillow asking rent was roughly flat over the past year (-0.3%) to $2,177. That is $457 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $1,720, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.
  • 90063 (East Los Angeles): the typical Zillow asking rent rose over the past year (+7.3%) to $2,305. That is $555 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $1,750, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.
  • 91801 (Alhambra): the typical Zillow asking rent was roughly flat over the past year (+0.3%) to $2,750. That is $450 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $2,300, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.
  • 90065 (Mount Washington / Glassell Park / Cypress Park): the typical Zillow asking rent rose over the past year (+1.0%) to $2,857. That is $637 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $2,220, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.
  • 90042 (Highland Park / Eagle Rock (south)): the typical Zillow asking rent was roughly flat over the past year (+0.5%) to $2,634. That is $314 above HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMR of $2,320, so expect most listings to price above voucher payment standards unless they are smaller or older units.

Getting to campus

The Cal State LA station is served by Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line and by the Metro J Line bus rapid transit on the El Monte Busway, giving students direct links to Union Station and Downtown in one direction and the San Gabriel Valley in the other. Metro buses also serve the campus from East LA, Lincoln Heights and Alhambra.

El Sereno and University Hills (90032) are the closest neighborhoods, north and east of campus. The housing is mostly small homes, duplexes and modest apartment buildings, and it is within the City of LA, so many older buildings are covered by the RSO. Its typical Zillow rent is moderate compared with the rest of the city.

Lincoln Heights (90031), one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, lies west toward Downtown, and it has the lowest typical Zillow rent in this table. The Metro A Line stops at Lincoln/Cypress, and buses run along Main Street and Broadway.

East Los Angeles (90063) is an unincorporated community governed by Los Angeles County, so the city RSO does not apply; LA County has its own rent stabilization ordinance for unincorporated areas. The Metro E Line runs through East LA along Third Street and Pomona Boulevard, connecting with buses toward campus.

Alhambra (91801), east of campus, is a separate city with its own rules and a strong food scene along Main Street and Valley Boulevard. Highland Park and the Mount Washington/Glassell Park area (90042, 90065) are further north-west along the A Line. They have become popular with younger renters, which shows in their rents and ZORI growth, but they remain cheaper than much of central LA.

Which area fits which renter

Students who want the shortest trip often look in El Sereno or near the campus edge in Monterey Park and Alhambra. Students working Downtown can use Lincoln Heights or the Metrolink and J Line to split the difference between job and class. Highland Park suits people who want a walkable main street and are fine with a bus or rail transfer.

Because Cal State LA has relatively little on-campus housing compared with its enrollment, competition for cheap rooms near campus can be strong before fall semester. Look in spring and early summer, and compare the cost of a room in a shared house against a full studio in Lincoln Heights or Alhambra. Make sure you know which jurisdiction a unit is in, since City of LA, LA County and Alhambra rules on rent increases differ.

What the numbers mean for your budget

Across the ZIP codes in the table, the typical Zillow asking rent runs from $2,177 to $2,857 a month. Using the common 30%-of-gross-income guideline that HUD also uses as its affordability benchmark, a $2,177 rent points to a gross income of about $87,100 a year, and $2,857 points to roughly $114,300. Many renters near Cal State LA split a larger unit with roommates to get under those thresholds, so it is worth checking the per-person cost of a two-bedroom against a studio before you decide.

HUD’s one-bedroom SAFMRs for the same ZIP codes range from $1,720 to $2,320. If you use a Housing Choice Voucher, your housing authority sets payment standards from these figures, so a unit priced above the local payment standard may leave you paying the difference. If you do not use a voucher, the SAFMR is still a useful second opinion: when a ZIP’s ZORI is far above its SAFMR, the listings you see online are probably newer or larger units than the area average.

Plan for move-in cash, too. In California, most landlords may charge no more than one month’s rent as a security deposit for leases starting on or after July 1, 2024 (some small landlords may charge two). Our Move-In Cost Calculator adds the deposit, first month, fees and moving costs, and the Rent Affordability Calculator works backward from your income.

Checklist before you sign near Cal State LA

  • Check whether the building is covered by the City of LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance on ZIMAS (Housing tab). If it is, annual increases are capped; see our LA RSO Allowable Rent Increase Calculator. Units outside the City of LA may fall under state law (AB 1482) or a local ordinance instead.
  • Walk or ride the actual commute at the time you would travel. A 2-mile trip can take 10 minutes or 40 depending on the hour.
  • Ask what utilities are included. HUD’s SAFMR assumes rent plus basic utilities, while most listings quote rent only.
  • Confirm parking: permit districts, garage fees and street-sweeping days add real cost.
  • Never wire a deposit before seeing the unit and verifying the landlord. Our guide to spotting rental scams lists the warning signs.
  • Use our apartment tour checklist during viewings.

Related guides

Sources and methodology

  • Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), ZIP level, all homes plus multifamily, smoothed, September 2026 value (most recent month available), downloaded October 29, 2026 from Zillow Research Data. ZORI is a typical asking rent across unit sizes. It is not a quote for any specific apartment.
  • HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR), FY2026 revised file (effective May 21, 2026), from HUD USER. SAFMRs are gross-rent estimates (rent plus basic utilities) used for Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Values shown are the base SAFMR, not the 90% or 110% payment standard.
  • Year-over-year change compares the ZORI value for September 2026 to September 2025 in the same file.
  • Commute and transit notes are based on public Metro and campus information. Service changes often, so check metro.net before you sign a lease.

Read more about how we source and update data in our Editorial Standards & Sources.