SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The San Diego market has become increasingly challenging for homebuyers, but even renters are finding it hard to stay afloat amid rising rental costs. The latest rent report by Zillow listed San Diego as one of the least affordable metro areas for renting in the entire country as of September. It was surpassed only by Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Riverside in the top four. San Diego’s rental market has become more challenging, study shows Experts say comfortably affording the typical U.S. rent is to spend no more than 30% of one's income. However, as of September, the median household would need to spend 29.7% of their income to afford rent, Zillow's report stated. Renters who are simply looking to move from one place to another within San Diego are also facing a dilemma. A new study by RentCafe showed that 95% of apartments in San Diego are already occupied, with about 12 prospective renters vying for a single available unit in the market. Photos: La Jolla mansion on sale for $108M looks to shatter San Diego County record In San Diego's market, the median rent for all bedrooms and all property types is just over $3,000. For perspective, the national median is about $2,070. Since the start of the pandemic, rents nationwide have increased by 33.7%, Zillow's report said. However, the silver lining is that rental costs are slightly lower this year than they were the same time last year.