Rental market data · 2024 Census estimates
Los Angeles, CA rental yield and cash flow
In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro, the median owner-occupied home was valued at $908,500 and the median gross rent was $2,114 a month in 2024. That is a gross rent yield of 2.79%, rank 97 of the 100 largest metros we track.
Does the median home cash flow at today's rate?
We priced a hypothetical rental at the metro medians: $908,500 purchase, $2,114 rent, 25% down, a 30-year loan at 7.28% (Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 1, 2026), $6,011 in annual property taxes, insurance at 0.5% of price, and 5% vacancy, 10% repairs and 8% management.
At these assumptions the median-priced home runs about $3,914 a month short of covering its costs (DSCR 0.16). Rent would need to reach about $7,197, 240% above the median, to break even, or the price would need to be near $164,958 for a 1.25 DSCR. Net operating income is about $8,979 a year, a 0.99% cap rate, against $55,945 of annual debt service.
Investment-property loans usually price above the owner-occupant average this survey reports, and your insurance quote, tax bill and rent will differ from a metro median. Change any input below.
Run your own numbers for Los Angeles
How Los Angeles compares
Metros with the nearest gross yields among the 100 we track. * Cash flow uses the same assumptions as above.
| Rank | Metro | Median value | Median rent | Gross yield | Price-to-rent | Cash flow / mo* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94 | Provo, UT | $584,600 | $1,611 | 3.31% | 30.2 | -$2,214 |
| 95 | Oxnard, CA | $869,300 | $2,313 | 3.19% | 31.3 | -$3,531 |
| 96 | San Diego, CA | $914,700 | $2,336 | 3.06% | 32.6 | -$3,772 |
| 97 | Los Angeles, CA | $908,500 | $2,114 | 2.79% | 35.8 | -$3,914 |
| 98 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $920,600 | $2,001 | 2.61% | 38.3 | -$3,792 |
| 99 | San Francisco, CA | $1,132,900 | $2,435 | 2.58% | 38.8 | -$5,142 |
| 100 | San Jose, CA | $1,528,500 | $2,827 | 2.22% | 45.1 | -$7,137 |
What these numbers leave out
Census gross rent includes utilities when the tenant pays them, so it can overstate what a landlord collects. Median value describes owner-occupied homes, not the rental stock, and a metro median hides wide neighborhood differences. Treat this page as a screen, then underwrite the specific property.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25064 (median gross rent)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25077 (median value, owner-occupied housing units)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25003 (housing tenure)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B01003 (total population)
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (30-year fixed average, week of October 1, 2026)
Data snapshot October 7, 2026. Methodology: all metros.