California city guide
San Diego, CAHousing costs & affordability
San Diego has about 1,389,526 residents. Median gross rent is $2,313 per month, while median household income is $108,077.
Quick answer
What income supports the median rent?
A household would need about $92,500 per year to keep San Diego's median gross rent near 30% of gross income. The 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 26%.
Elevated housing-cost benchmarkData scope: figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates. The latest official release was checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. The benchmark compares citywide medians and is designed for broad relocation research, not an individual budget or a live apartment search.
High estimate precision Margins of error use the Census ACS 90% confidence level. Smaller geographies and subgroups can have wider uncertainty.
Personal rent check
Make the numbers
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Compare San Diego’s median rent with a 30% target based on your gross annual household income.
Major-city decision brief · Priority city 7 of 30
What stands out for a move to San Diego
Four signals derived from the same Census dataset help separate the renting, buying and ownership picture.
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01
Income versus the rent target
Median household income is $15,577 above the $92,500 income associated with median rent at 30%. That is a citywide cushion, not a promise that a specific household or apartment will fit.
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02
Rent position inside California
San Diego ranks #231 from lowest to highest rent among 340 covered California cities with usable rent estimates. Its rent is 40% above the dataset median across the full 10-state dataset.
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03
Buying requires a different scale of income
Median home value equals 8.4x median household income, 100% above the dataset median. This ratio does not include rates, down payment, property tax, insurance or maintenance.
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04
Ownership is one part of the local housing mix
47% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 25% below the dataset median. The remaining share includes renter-occupied housing and should not be read as current inventory availability.
Direct comparisons
Compare San Diego with another city
How San Diego compares
Within California, San Diego ranks #231 from lowest to highest rent among 340 covered places with usable rent estimates. Median rent is 40% above the dataset median. Household income ranks #139 from highest to lowest among 345 places with usable income estimates.
The citywide rent-to-income benchmark is between 25% and 30%. The rent-to-income benchmark is useful for comparing cities under one formula, but households with different incomes, unit sizes or debt loads will experience costs differently.
Renting snapshot
$27,756 in annual median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent totals about $27,756. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable in the ACS definition.
Buying snapshot
32.7x price-to-rent baseline
Median home value is about 32.7x annual median rent. This is a broad market comparison and does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance or maintenance.
Search terms, defined
How to read rent, home price and AMI searches
These distinctions keep the Census estimates comparable and prevent a historical survey measure from being mistaken for a live market quote.
- Average rent vs. median gross rent
- If you searched for the average rent in San Diego, the closest consistent Census measure on this page is $2,313 median gross rent. It is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent, not a live average asking rent. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
- Home price vs. median home value
- The reported $906,700 median home value is the midpoint of owner estimates for owner-occupied homes. It is not an average sale price, listing price or current automated valuation.
- Household income vs. AMI
- The $108,077 median household income is a Census city estimate. It is not HUD Area Median Income (AMI), an AMI eligibility limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
Keep comparing
Similar-size cities in California
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in San Diego?
Median gross rent is $2,313 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average rent in San Diego?
This page reports Census median gross rent of $2,313 per month, not a live average asking rent. Median is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent; gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
What income is needed for the median rent?
A gross household income of about $92,500 per year would keep median gross rent near 30% of income. This is a planning benchmark, not a landlord qualification rule.
Is housing affordable in San Diego?
The citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 26%, which this site labels a elevated housing-cost benchmark. Individual costs can differ substantially.
Does this page report Area Median Income or AMI?
No. The $108,077 figure is Census median household income for the city. It is not HUD Area Median Income, an AMI limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
What is the median home value in San Diego?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $906,700 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average home price in San Diego?
This page reports a Census median owner-occupied home value of $906,700, not an average sale price, current listing price or real-time market estimate.
Trace every number
Data sources for San Diego
2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates for San Diego, California (Census place 0666000). Dollar estimates are in 2024 dollars. MOE means margin of error at 90% confidence.
Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens to see every source.
| Measure | Estimate | 90% MOE | Census source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rentUSD / month | $2,313 | ±$18 | B25064_001E |
| Median household incomeUSD / year | $108,077 | ±$1,463 | B19013_001E |
| Median owner-occupied home valueUSD | $906,700 | ±$6,879 | B25077_001E |
| PopulationPeople | 1,389,526 | ±106 | B01003_001E |
| Occupied housing unitsHousing units | 530,412 | ±2,344 | B25003_001E |
| Owner-occupied housing unitsHousing units | 251,100 | ±3,064 | B25003_002E |
Calculated separately: the $92,500 annual income target = $2,313 monthly gross rent × 12 ÷ 0.30, rounded to $100. Owner occupancy = owner-occupied units ÷ occupied units. These are derived benchmarks, not separate Census estimates. Missing or suppressed values are shown as “Not reported”; open-ended medians use a + or an “Under” label and are excluded from exact derived calculations; ranks use usable point estimates and do not establish statistically significant differences.
Good research deserves a source.
MoveCostCompare. “Housing costs in San Diego, California.” U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. $2,313 median gross rent per month (90% MOE ±$18). https://movecostcompare.com/city/san-diego-california. Survey estimate, not live asking rent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.