It’s gotten more expensive to rent a home in the Coachella Valley. Rental rates were higher in May 2026 than a year earlier, outpacing the average growth of rental prices nationwide over the same period, according to newly released figures.
The data from the Zillow Observed Rent Index for May 2026 shows seven valley cities saw annual increases in their average rents for apartments and single-family homes, with the largest jumps reported in Rancho Mirage (9.5%) and La Quinta (8.7%).
The Zillow data uses a weighted formula to reflect the broader rental market, rather than just what’s currently listed for rent on its website, while also incorporating a three-month moving average to reflect trends over time. The data includes all types of rental leases, from seasonal ones to standard 12-month agreements.
Zillow sometimes revises its figures for prior months as more housing data becomes available, which can cause large changes in smaller markets such as Indian Wells. The data does not yet include a city-level breakdown for Coachella, likely due to low rental inventories available online.
Here are the average rental prices for the eight valley cities for which city-level, snapshot data is available. The Desert Sun will report on these prices monthly.
Rental prices in Cathedral City
Rental prices in Desert Hot Springs
Rental prices in Indian Wells
Rental prices in Indio
Rental prices in La Quinta
Rental prices in Palm Desert
Rental prices in Palm Springs
Rental prices in Rancho Mirage
How much are average rents in Riverside County, nationwide?
In Riverside County, including the valley, the average rental price for May 2026 was $2,577.06 — up roughly 2.4% from a year ago, according to the ZORI data. That amount also marked a 0.4% increase from April 2026.
By metro area, two of the five least affordable rental markets (based on how much a median household’s income would go toward rent) were in Southern California, including Los Angeles (34%) and Riverside (31.2%), according to Ng’s analysis.
Zillow data shows the average rental nationwide at $1,950.87 for May 2026 — up 2% compared to a year ago. The nationwide average was up about 0.5% compared to a month ago.
Is rent affordable across U.S.?
While prices remain high in the valley, rental markets have become slightly more affordable nationwide. In May, nearly three-quarters of listings were considered affordable to a median-income household, meaning it spends no more than 30% of its income on rent, according to an analysis by Kara Ng, a senior economist on Zillow’s Economic Research team.
“After setting records during the pandemic, rent price growth has cooled since 2022, in large part due to a multifamily construction boom that reached a 50-year high in 2024,” Ng wrote. “Builders reacted to strong housing demand during the pandemic and took advantage of borrowing costs that were still low.”
“More apartments mean more options and less competition for any single unit, slowing rent growth and allowing incomes to catch up,” Ng added, noting the typical rent nationwide was up just 2% (or $39 per month) compared to a year ago.
While rentals prices have risen considerably — by 37.5% — since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nationwide share of rentals listed for less than $1,000 per month stood at 8.8% in May, “a sign that more units at the lower end of the market are becoming available,” according to Ng.
Tom Coulter covers local government and politics for The Desert Sun. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: How much is rent in Palm Springs area? See prices by city
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
