Here’s one rental category where Modesto ranks among country’s most affordable
Some good news for renters in Modesto who are looking for more space: The city is among the least expensive in the nation to upsize an apartment, according to data from RentCafé.
Modesto and Stockton both came out on top of the rankings, with an upgrade to an apartment with an additional room increasing monthly rent by only 11%.
RentCafe said it surveyed the country’s top 100 cities.
Upsizing by one room will increase rent prices by an average of $148 per month in Modesto, the data show, regardless of whether the renter’s old apartment was a studio or a one- or two-bedroom unit. This cost is even lower in Stockton, coming out at $131 in additional monthly rent.
In comparison, the city with the highest upgrading costs in the Central Valley is Sacramento, where an extra bedroom would add $408 more to the monthly rent, on average.
As of June 2021, the average rent for an apartment in Modesto is $1,446, a 13% increase compared to the previous year. Rent prices in Modesto have been steadily climbing over the past few years and are starting to reach parity with national rates. In June, the national average rent was $1,482, comparable with California’s average of $1,488.
According to a survey by RentCafé, 33% of renters are expecting to continue working from home either full- or part-time for the foreseeable future, continuing the pandemic’s shift to a remote working environment. To accommodate a more permanent home office, 35% of renters are looking to upsize their apartments. Of those respondents living in one-bedroom apartments, 40% were “actively looking to upgrade to apartments with two or more bedrooms,” the survey found.
Those looking for a new place to live have to take several factors into consideration.
For renters in Modesto, moving to Stockton to upgrade their space would cost an extra $71 per month, but renters moving from Stockton to Modesto to upgrade would face an additional $209 in monthly rent, more than they’d pay if they moved locally, RentCafé found.
This story was produced with financial support from the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work.
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