“Rent burden” is defined by housing scholars as spending more than 30 percent of wages on rent. According to UAW membership surveys, 92 percent of graduate students and 60 percent of postdocs across the University of California (UC) are rent-burdened. These figures are likely more dire in Santa Cruz, the second least affordable city for renters in the U.S. Since November 14, 2022, graduate students, postdocs, and academic researchers across the UC have been on strike for several necessary demands, including a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to our wages that will bring graduate students out of rent burden. For more graphs and data, check out the Graduate Cost of Attendance and Living Calculator.
Here is what rent burden looks like for teaching assistants (TAs) in Santa Cruz, who have a monthly salary of $2,583 before tax for nine months out of the year.
| Rental price at the 40th percentile for Santa Cruz County | Percentage of yearly salary going to rent |
| 1BR – $2,760 | 142% |
| Studio – $2,140 | 110% |
| One Room in 2BR – $1,815 | 94% |
| One Room in 3BR – $1,543 | 80% |