Rents in El Dorado Hills rose 3.0% over the past year, a pace that ran ahead of the roughly 1.6% increase recorded across the broader region, according to the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The median asking rent stood at $3,156 per month as of June 30, up $93 from $3,063 a year earlier. The gap between the local and regional figures marks the most notable rental development in the area this month.
Rents this month
The $93 monthly increase over the past 12 months places El Dorado Hills among the faster-moving rental markets in its region. While the local ZORI reading of $3,156 reflects the premium associated with the community, the 3.0% year-over-year change is the more relevant figure for renters weighing a new lease or a renewal, as it nearly doubles the regional median change of about 1.6%.
For a household currently paying the median rent, the year-over-year shift translates to roughly $1,116 more over the course of a 12-month lease compared with a year ago. Renters searching for a unit today are encountering asking prices that sit meaningfully higher than they did last summer.
What renters can afford
Despite the increase, rent remains a manageable share of income for the typical local household. Based on Census American Community Survey data for 2024, the median household income in El Dorado Hills is $165,349, and the current median rent consumes about 22.9% of that income. That figure sits well below the 30% threshold commonly used to define a household as rent-burdened, giving the typical renter here more breathing room than in many California communities.
That said, the affordability picture varies widely by household. The 22.9% figure reflects the area’s high median income; renters earning less than the median devote a correspondingly larger share of their earnings to housing, and the 3.0% year-over-year rent increase compresses that margin further for those households.
Rent versus buy
For context on the rent-versus-buy decision, the median home sale price in El Dorado Hills was $852,036, according to Redfin — a level that keeps the gap between monthly renting and ownership costs wide in this market. Nationally, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.49% in June 2026, down from 6.82% a year earlier but up slightly from 6.44% in May 2026, a backdrop that continues to shape the calculus for households considering a purchase over renewing a lease.
For now, the rental figures tell the clearer story. With the median rent up 3.0% year over year and outpacing the surrounding region, renters in El Dorado Hills are absorbing steeper year-over-year increases than their neighbors in nearby communities, even as the burden ratio remains comfortably below the levels seen in more strained markets. Renters facing a renewal this summer will likely see asking prices reflecting that upward movement, while those relocating from areas with softer rent growth may find the local pace of increase notable.
The monthly ZORI data, released with a customary lag, captures conditions through the end of June. Whether the local market continues to run ahead of the regional trend will become clearer as subsequent readings are published, but this month’s data confirms that El Dorado Hills renters faced faster year-over-year rent growth than the wider region.