Recent studies have shown that the price-to-rent ratio is higher in the Bay Area than anywhere else in the nation.

This ratio is used as a benchmark for estimating whether it’s cheaper to rent or own property and is measured by numbers that signify how many times higher the price of a home is over annual rent. The threshold where rent looks like a better deal is the 15-20 range. During the pandemic, the ratio for the San Francisco Bay Area spiked to record levels, peaking at 58.8 on June 21, 2021.

With Sonoma County currently at homeownership being 31 times the cost of annual rent, possible homebuyers may be choosing to rent a house to get a feel for what they may want to buy when prices go down, although apartments may be better alternative in the short term for many.

Click through our gallery above to see recently listed Sonoma County apartments