Cost of Living and Housing in El Cajon, California

El Cajon has about 104,449 residents. Median gross rent is $1,856 per month and median household income is $67,511.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $1,856/mo 12% above the dataset median

Median Home Value $681,700 82% above the dataset median

Median Household Income $67,511 20% below the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 42% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 33% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 10.1x Median value ÷ household income

How El Cajon compares

Rent is 12% above the dataset median, while household income is 20% below the dataset median. Within California, El Cajon ranks #119 from lowest to highest rent and #313 from highest to lowest household income among 347 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in California

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in El Cajon?

Median gross rent is $1,856 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in El Cajon?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $681,700 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in El Cajon is $67,511 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.