Cost of Living and Housing in San Marcos, California

San Marcos has about 94,882 residents. Median gross rent is $2,348 per month and median household income is $109,377.

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 $2,348/mo 42% above the dataset median

Median Home Value $868,000 132% above the dataset median

Median Household Income $109,377 30% above the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 64% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 26% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 7.9x Median value ÷ household income

How San Marcos compares

Rent is 42% above the dataset median, while household income is 30% above the dataset median. Within California, San Marcos ranks #238 from lowest to highest rent and #131 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 San Marcos?

Median gross rent is $2,348 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in San Marcos?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $868,000 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in San Marcos is $109,377 per year.

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