Most of Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $85.06 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 8 ZIP codes in Santa Monica with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,150 to $3,080 a month. At the middle rent, $2,685, a full-time job would need to pay $101.57 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90401 | Los Angeles County | $3,020/mo | $114.94/hr |
| 90402 | Los Angeles County | $2,870/mo | $108.87/hr |
| 90403 | Los Angeles County | $3,080/mo | $117.52/hr |
| 90404 | Los Angeles County | $2,580/mo | $97.47/hr |
| 90405 | Los Angeles County | $2,790/mo | $105.70/hr |
| 90406 | Los Angeles County | $2,150/mo | $79.00/hr |
| 90408 | Los Angeles County | $2,150/mo | $79.00/hr |
| 90409 | Los Angeles County | $2,150/mo | $79.00/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Santa Monica needs to pay at least $85.06 an hour before taxes, about $176,922 a year. That is the figure for Los Angeles County, where the typical studio rent is $2,290 a month.
Yes. Across the 8 ZIP codes in Santa Monica with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,150 to $3,080 a month. At the middle rent of $2,685, the pay needed would be $101.57 an hour.
The minimum wage in Los Angeles County is $16.90 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads