Will rents rise another 4.7 percent?

San Diego County's median rents will rise 4.7 percent in the next year, down slightly from the 4.9 percent rise over the last year, according to Zillow. The 4.7 percent jump will be eighth largest among the 35 major metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Now, San Diego rents at a median $2427 a month are the fourth highest among the 35 metro areas. The only metro areas topping San Diego are Los Angeles ($2593), San Francisco ($3406) and San Jose ($3517).

Generally, rents in Western metro areas are rising faster than in other parts of the nation. According to Zillow, rents will rise 7.2 percent in Seattle and 6.0 percent in Portland over the next year — the two highest. All the top ten except Cincinnati are in the West. United States rents are expected to rise 1.7 percent in the next year, same as last year. The median monthly rent in the 35 largest metro areas is now $1405.