Torrance Rents Hold Steady at $2,560 in October Report While Broader LA Metro Slips

Torrance renters are still paying up while the rest of the metro cools off. Apartment List's October 2026 Rent Report puts the overall median rent in Torrance at $2,560, after a 0.6% rise over the course of September. Rents are now up 1.6% year over year, close to the state average of 2.5% and well ahead of the national average of -0.4%.

The year-to-date picture is steady rather than surging. Nine months into 2026, Torrance rents have risen 5.1% - almost exactly the 5.2% pace the city was running at the same point in 2025. No acceleration, but no giveback either, even as 7%+ mortgage rates keep would-be buyers renting longer.

The contrast with the metro is the real headline. Across the wider Los Angeles metro area, the median rent is $2,207, making Torrance 16.0% more expensive than the metro average - and metro-wide annual rent growth sits at -0.6%, below Torrance's rate. Among the 27 LA-area cities in Apartment List's database, Newport Beach remains the priciest at $3,531, Inglewood the most affordable at $1,686, Laguna Niguel the fastest-growing at 7.6% annually, and Santa Monica the slowest at -5.4%.

For South Bay owners and investors, the read is two-sided. The jobs engine - aerospace, defense, manufacturing - keeps demand for Torrance rentals supported, which underwrites rents for small multifamily and investor condos. For renters hoping for the metro-wide softness to reach them, it has not yet: Torrance rents are still climbing at the same cadence as last year, and the city sits in the top tier of the metro on both price and growth.

Source: Apartment List - https://www.apartmentlist.com/rent-report/ca/torrance

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