Apartments for Rent in Studio City, CA

What is it like to rent in Studio City?

By Jason Farone, Founder of 14ForRent · Updated August 2026

Studio City sits in the San Fernando Valley, split by Ventura Boulevard and bounded roughly by Mulholland Drive to the north, the Cahuenga Pass to the east, and Coldwater Canyon to the west. Unlike Glendale, Beverly Hills, or Santa Monica, it isn't its own city — it's a neighborhood inside the City of Los Angeles, so the standard LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance applies to qualifying older buildings here, not a separate local ordinance. The neighborhood built its identity around the entertainment industry: Mack Sennett opened a studio at Ventura and Radford back in 1928, and that lot is still an active production facility today, now known as CBS Studio Center. That history gives Studio City a working, lived-in feel rather than a purely residential Valley suburb.

Studio City rent runs a notch above the Valley average. In 2026, studios typically land around $1,700–$2,100, one-bedrooms roughly $2,300–$3,000, and two-bedrooms $2,900–$4,300. Three-bedroom houses and larger units average closer to $4,000, with well-located or renovated options pushing past $5,000. Our current Studio City listings sit at both ends of that range: a two-bedroom on Landale Street at $2,945, and two three-bedroom units on Hortense Street at $4,795 each — toward the premium end for a three-bedroom here, reflecting their size and location. All three sit in ZIP 91602, south of Ventura Boulevard toward Colfax Meadows and the Silver Triangle.

Ventura Boulevard is the spine of daily life here, and it's one of the few genuinely walkable commercial strips in the Valley. The boulevard runs the length of Studio City lined with restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques — locals still call the stretch through Studio City Restaurant Row. A farmers market sets up on Ventura Place every Sunday morning, and the mix of longtime family-run spots and newer openings means the boulevard doesn't feel like a chain-store corridor the way some Valley main streets do. Renters on the blocks just north or south of Ventura can walk to dinner and errands; a few blocks further into the hills, you're back to driving for everything.

The entertainment industry isn't background noise in Studio City — it's a neighbor. CBS Studio Center (also called Radford Studio Center) sits right on Ventura Boulevard at Radford Avenue, with sound stages and dressing rooms still in daily production use. Universal Studios Hollywood and the larger Universal City studio lot sit just across the Cahuenga Pass at the neighborhood's eastern edge, close enough that tourist traffic on weekends is a real factor for anyone renting near Lankershim Boulevard. For renters who work in production, post, or any adjacent field, living within a five-minute drive of two major studio lots is a genuine convenience most of LA can't offer.

Studio City isn't one uniform grid — it splits into several distinct pockets. Colfax Meadows, just south of Ventura Boulevard and adjacent to Tujunga Village, is one of the neighborhood's oldest and most sought-after residential areas, mixing Spanish-style bungalows with newer construction. The Silver Triangle sits nearby, bordered by Laurel Canyon and Laurel Terrace. North of Ventura, the hillside streets of Fryman Estates and Longridge Estates climb toward Mulholland Drive and command the neighborhood's highest prices. For hiking, Fryman Canyon Park and the adjacent Wilacre Park trail are minutes from Ventura Boulevard on foot for nearby residents and a short drive for everyone else — genuinely rare access to real trails this close to a commercial strip.

Because Studio City is part of the City of Los Angeles, the LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers units in buildings with a certificate of occupancy on or before October 1, 1978 — capping annual increases and requiring just-cause eviction. Newer buildings fall under California's statewide AB 1482 instead. Rent here runs a bit higher than next-door Sherman Oaks: a one-bedroom in Studio City averages roughly $2,400–$2,500 against about $2,100–$2,270 in Sherman Oaks, and two-bedrooms follow the same gap. The premium buys walkability to Ventura Boulevard, direct studio-lot proximity, and Metro B Line access that Sherman Oaks' stretch of the Valley doesn't have. It suits industry professionals, small families who want a real main street, and renters commuting to Hollywood or Downtown by train instead of the 101.