Commercial Real Estate Market in Santa Cruz, CA
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: September 30
133 active listings and 2,475 off-market properties in Santa Cruz, CA. Commercial property asks $839/SF to buy and $22.00/SF/Yr to lease.
Market Trends
Santa Cruz, CA spans 91.0 square miles in Santa Cruz County, California. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 30 September 2026.
Office
Office vacancy in Santa Cruz, CA runs 20.8% across the West region in 2025, up from 11% in 2019.
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Retail
Retail vacancy in Santa Cruz, CA runs 5.8% across the West region in 2025, down from 7% in 2020.
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Santa Cruz, CA runs 7.9% across the West region in 2025, up from 3.7% in 2019. Nearly 3.2x the 2022 low of 2.5%.
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Santa Cruz, CA asks $670/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 8.6% across the West region in 2025, up from 7% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Santa Cruz, CA has 116,932 residents in 47,607 households. Density runs 1,285 people per square mile. Median household income here is $115,832 and median gross rent $2,299 a month.
116,932
Population
47,607
Households
2.5
Avg Household Size
39
Median Age
55%
College-Educated
94%
High-School Grad
91 sq mi
ZIP Area
1,285
Density / Sq Mi
$115,832
Median Household Income
$49,594
Median Earnings
$2,299
Median Rent
$1,084,112
Median Home Value
Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Santa Cruz?
Commercial property in Santa Cruz, CA asks an average of $839 per square foot. The 5 most recent recorded sales traded at a median of $605/SF, so asking sits 39% above the achieved median. Multifamily carries the highest asking price at $670/SF.
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Santa Cruz?
Asking lease rates in Santa Cruz, CA average $22.00 per square foot per year.
Where does Realmo's Santa Cruz market data come from?
Realmo compiles Santa Cruz, CA figures from 6 recent recorded sales, 104 active sale listings, 29 active lease listings, 2,475 tracked off-market properties. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 30 September 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 104 active for-sale and 29 active for-lease listings in Santa Cruz, CA. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 30 September 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at West region level, retail vacancy is reported at West region level and industrial vacancy is reported at West region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 30 September 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
