If you want to escape the superficial-reality-show lifestyle of Orange County, but don’t want to live in the gritty, post-apocalyptic urban landscape that is LA, then Riverside is the perfect middle ground. The people are real, the vibe is laid back, and the surrounding mountain views look great from just about any apartment.
California Charm
If you want to escape the superficial-reality-show lifestyle of Orange County, but don’t want to live in the gritty, post-apocalyptic urban landscape that is LA, then Riverside is the perfect middle ground. The people are real, the vibe is laid back, and the surrounding mountain views look great from just about any apartment.
California Charm. Yes, southern California is very charming. Riverside looks like a perfectly fine and fair-weathered place to live.
Smog. Thanks to the drastic industrialization of LA, Riverside gets breezes heavily weighted down with city smog, especially in the summer. A visit to the area in wintertime may be beautiful, and quite refreshing compared to harsh east coast/midwest winters (you’ve heard the stories), but a visit during the heat and smog of summertime is necessary to make sure you can actually survive here.
Transportation. Although the smog has been a major problem, efforts to clean up the air in Southern California have prompted a very convenient transportation system. Living in Riverside, you can skip the traffic and save on gas money by taking a free ride on the Metrolink, which runs throughout the LA, Orange County, and San Diego area. The city itself has a sufficient bus system, and the streets are great for bikers and walkers alike.
Ants. If there is one major infestation that all apartments experience around here, it is ants. They make their way through the walls, up multiple stories, and into your kitchen. Newer apartments that are completely sealed off have less trouble, yet they do still find ways in. So, don’t back out of your lease just because of an ant problem. They are an issue at every apartment. Just work with the management, or work within your budget, and get a good pesticide spray in a few times a year.
Things To Do. No, you don’t have to go all the way to Los Angeles or Orange County to have a good time. Riverside has plenty of hidden gems for locals to enjoy. There are hiking trails everywhere, a few lakes, tons of shopping centers, live music, theater, horse races, golf courses, hipster bars, hookah lounges, fairs and festivals, and even an old school drive-in movie theater… not to mention, the snow-capped mountains right outside the city. Its location right in between the beach and the mountains is ideal in spring and fall, when you can go snow skiing and water skiing all in the same day. Now, tell us that isn’t the coolest thing you’ve heard all day.
Airport. Lots of character, best hole-in-the-wall restaurants for taco and Thai food lovers, and a little bit of airplane noise, but you probably guessed that from the neighborhood’s name.
Arlington Heights. Gorgeous country drives, lush orange groves, and lots of natural vegetation around Mocking Bird Lake.
Arlington South. Great spot for the scenery of Arlington Heights, but with the convenience of nearby shopping complexes and neighborhood parks.
Box Springs. Near Lake Perris Fairgrounds, two enormous parks, mall, movie theater, sushi, pizza and a grocery store. If convenience is a hot-button word for you, this place has got it in spades.
Canyon Crest. Perfect neighborhood for a bicycle-traveling student, with the University of California and downtown within a few miles, and plenty of parks, eats, and shops in between.
Casa Blanca. A little noisy, but this neighborhood has some of the best little Mexican spots, including a meat market, bakery, grocery store, and a few restaurants. Plus, it’s less than five miles from downtown. No Humphrey Bogarts, though. Trust us, we’re bummed too.
Downtown. A neighborhood of live theater, jazz, festivals, a few laid back dive bars, and lots of beautiful, open green space right on the river.
Eastside. Just east of downtown, don’t walk there.
Grand. Right on the river, with lots of tree cover for walking to downtown, the community college, or the golf course. Keep an eye out for duplexes and fourplexes.
La Sierra. This ‘hood is mere seconds away from the mall and freeway, has lots of open space along Norco Ridge, and, as an added plus, it’s got tons of great little shops on Van Buren.
Magnolia Center. The place for shopaholics, local musicians, families, college kids, martini-drinkers and Irish lager lovers… basically fun for the whole family.. There is a huge shopping center, local music showcases, Irish pub, hookah lounge, coffee shops, and beautiful green spaces under bright blue California skies. What more could you ask for!
Mission Grove. A hidden treasure next to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, this woodsy area is home to luxury apartments, walkable streets, and high-class neighborhood bars and restaurants.
Northside. Close to everything: downtown, the river, Fairmount Park, the golf course, and a few little mom and pop shops.
Presidential Park. This is a nice, affordable suburban area, with great little neighborhood parks and a drive-in movie theater to add some nostalgic Southern California charm.
Ramona. This neighborhood is convenient and affordable.
Sycamore Canyon Springs. Here, you can hit the highway to LA as quickly as you can skip over to the two biggest parks in Riverside: Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park and Box Springs Mountain Park. Be sure to take a hike after a good rain… that’s when the flora is most colorful.
University. Walk to the University of California-Riverside, the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, and through streets filled with tons of studious college kids. And, no, you are not crazy if you hear the sound of church bells playing the theme to Ghostbusters… that is just the sound of a Carillonneur jamming out on the enormous Bell Tower that you see lit up in the sky. The sound travels throughout the city and bounces off of the nearby mountains.
Victoria. Victorian houses and upscale shopping.
Now armed with the apartment hunting tips and the neighborhood breakdown, you are ready to take on the town! Keep your mind open, your schedule loose, and enjoy that Southern California living!
The representation of ethnic minorities in Riverside is higher than the national average. The eight main ethnic groups that make up the population of Riverside are Hispanic Or Latino (55.9%), White (25.3%), Asian (8.5%), Black Or African American (6.6%), Two Or More (2.9%), Native Hawaiian Or Other Pacific Islander (0.5%), Other (0.3%), and American Indian Or Alaska Native (0.1%).
The representation of ethnic minorities in Riverside is higher than the national average. The eight main ethnic groups that make up the population of Riverside are Hispanic Or Latino (55.9%), White (25.3%), Asian (8.5%), Black Or African American (6.6%), Two Or More (2.9%), Native Hawaiian Or Other Pacific Islander (0.5%), Other (0.3%), and American Indian Or Alaska Native (0.1%).
Apartment List has released the results for Riverside from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters nationwide, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of the country’s 111 million renters.
These Riverside neighborhoods are insanely popular right now! Renters are hunting down properties in these places.
Searching for an apartment for rent in Riverside, CA? Look no further! Apartment List will help you find a perfect apartment near you. There are 131 available rental units listed on Apartment List in Riverside. Click on listings to see photos, floorplans, amenities, prices and availability, and much more!
The average rent in Riverside is $1,731 for a studio, $2,051 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $2,462 for a two-bedroom apartment. If you are looking for a deal, keep an eye out for a red pulsing icon that indicates rent specials.
Tired of browsing? Take our personalized quiz. You’ll answer a couple of simple questions and we’ll put together a list of Riverside apartments that are best for you. We’ll also factor in your commute, budget, and preferred amenities. Looking for a pet-friendly rental, or an apartment with in-unit washer and dryer? No problem, we’ll provide you with apartments that match that criteria.
You can trust Apartment List to help you find your next Riverside, CA apartment rental! After all, everyone deserves a home they love.
Welcome to the Apartment List December 2024 Rent Report for Riverside, CA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,784, roughly the same as last month. Prices are now down 1.4% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Riverside rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Riverside metro area and the nation as a whole.
The median rent in Riverside fell by 0.2% over the course of November, and has now decreased by a total of 1.4% over the past 12 months. Riverside’s rent growth over the past year has has fallen behind the state average (0.2%) and is similar to the national average (-0.6%).
Eleven months into the year, rents in Riverside have risen 1.4%. This is a faster rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: from January to November 2023 rents had decreased 0.7%.
Riverside rents went down 0.2% in the past month, compared to the national rate of -0.8%. Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #22. Similar monthly rent growth took place in Tulsa, OK (-0.2%) and Lincoln, NE (-0.3%).
Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $1,479 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,777 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $1,784. That ranks #19 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities.
For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,214 for a 1-bedroom, $1,368 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,382 overall. The median rent in Riverside is 29.1% higher than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Miami, FL ($1,914) and Long Beach, CA ($1,750).
If we expand our view to the wider Riverside metro area, the median rent is $1,842 meaning that the median price in Riverside proper ($1,784) is 3.2% lower than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at 0.5%, above the rate of rent growth within just the city.
The table below shows the latest rent stats for 11 cities in the Riverside metro area that are included in our database. Among them, Chino Hills is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $2,869. Colton is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $1,617. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Chino Hills (4.0%) while the slowest is in Murrieta (-2.6%).
You can also use the map below to explore the latest rent trends in the Riverside metropolitan area.
Apartment List is committed to the accuracy and transparency of our rent estimates. We begin with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, capturing apartment transactions over time to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country. Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. For more details, please see the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology.
Apartment List publishes monthly rent reports and underlying data for hundreds of cities across the nation, as well as data aggregated for counties, metros, and states. These data are intended to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions. Insights from our data are covered regularly by journalists across the country. To access the data yourself, please visit our Data Downloads Page.
Welcome to the Apartment List December 2024 Rent Report for Riverside, CA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,784, roughly the same as last month. Prices are now down 1.4% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Riverside rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Riverside metro area and the nation as a whole.
Apartment List has released Riverside’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.
"Riverside renters expressed general dissatisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "Interestingly, ratings for Riverside vary widely across categories such as jobs and career opportunities and commute time."
Key findings in Riverside include the following:
Renters say:
For more information on the survey methodology and findings or to speak to one of our researchers, please contact our team at rentonomics@apartmentlist.com.
If you want to escape the superficial-reality-show lifestyle of Orange County, but don’t want to live in the gritty, post-apocalyptic urban landscape that is LA, then Riverside is the perfect middle ground. The people are real, the vibe is laid back, and the surrounding mountain views look great from just about any apartment.
California Charm
View Riverside City Guide
