San Diego Rent Prices: What the Data Shows

San Diego has crossed a line that surprises even locals: it is now more expensive to rent here than in Los Angeles. The median rent in San Diego is about $2,987, well above the national median of roughly $1,951 and a notch past LA. Here is what the data shows on price, apartment size, the five-year trend, the suburbs, and value.

What rent costs in San Diego right now

The citywide median sits near $2,987, up about 4.8% over the past year. By apartment size, studios run about $2,363, one-bedrooms around $2,565, two-bedrooms near $3,174, and three-bedrooms about $4,244. Against a median household income near $108,000, the typical renter spends roughly 33% of gross income on a median apartment, past the 30% line that defines a cost-burdened household.

The five-year picture

San Diego rent is up about 32% over the past five years, a steep climb driven by coastal demand, a tight housing supply, and spillover from an expensive California market. That is faster than Los Angeles, which rose closer to 21% over the same span, and it is why San Diego has caught and passed LA at the median.

The suburbs: coast versus inland

Where you land changes the number by a lot, and the split is geographic. On the coast, Carlsbad is the priciest at about $3,592, followed by Chula Vista at $3,059 and Oceanside at $2,931. Move inland and the price eases: Vista runs about $2,660, Escondido about $2,545, and El Cajon about $2,306, the most affordable of the group and the only one where rent slipped over the past year.

How San Diego compares

Against the rest of the country, San Diego is firmly in the expensive tier. It runs above Los Angeles ($2,755) and roughly $1,000 over the national median, though it stays well below San Francisco at about $4,253. Within California, San Diego is now the second most expensive of the major coastal metros.

Is it a good deal?

By our Rent Reality Score, San Diego lands at 64, meaning rents sit modestly below the city's own long-term trend, so it is not wildly overheated even after the run-up. But the affordability math is tight against local incomes. The verdict: a desirable market that is no longer a relative bargain, where the real savings come from moving inland. See the full San Diego rent data, or run it against LA or the coast in the RentDataNow compare tool.

Sources

Rent figures: RentDataNow, June 2026, with medians and five-year history anchored to the Zillow Observed Rent Index. Median household income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.