California · 18th largest metro area

Buying a home in San Diego, California

In San Diego, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $906,700, San Diego County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,740 in total loan costs in 2025.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

San Diego home costs, fact by fact

About San Diego

San Diego has a city population of 1,404,452 and sits in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, ranked 18th among US metro areas. Owners occupy 47.3% of homes.

Reading the San Diego figures

San Diego's $906,700 median value is above the California figure of $770,700 and just under Los Angeles at $921,200. Oakland ($929,900) is a little higher; Fullerton ($902,600) is a little lower. Rent is $2,313 a month, which tops Los Angeles ($1,933) and Oakland ($1,979). Garden Grove, Anaheim and Burbank sit between, at $2,012, $2,175 and $2,192, while Orange and Hayward ask more, at $2,327 and $2,391. In San Diego, 47.3% of households own. Anaheim is close with 46.2%, while Oakland has 42.3% and Los Angeles 36%.

The community planning areas carry the real range. University reads $1,033,000 and Clairemont Mesa $988,000 at the top, with North Park, Navajo and Mira Mesa at $936,000, $914,000 and $878,000. Otay Mesa-Nestor, at $600,000, costs the least. Mid-City:City Heights ($626,000) and Southeastern San Diego ($631,000) sit just above it. Encanto Neighborhoods stands near $635,000, and Skyline-Paradise Hills near $647,000.

Tenure varies more than value. Skyline-Paradise Hills has 69.4% owners and Navajo 66.3%, against 27.9% in North Park and 26.6% in Mid-City:City Heights. Clairemont Mesa shows 57.7% owners and Otay Mesa-Nestor 58.4%, while University has 36.9%. Southeastern San Diego posts 32.4%. Clairemont Mesa holds the oldest stock: 82.5% built before 1980, median year 1965. Mira Mesa shows 38.4% and University 41.3%, far newer.

Rent among sectors does not follow value either. Mira Mesa and University both rent at $2,730. Navajo asks $2,690, while North Park asks only $2,010 despite a $936,000 value. Clairemont Mesa asks $2,260, Skyline-Paradise Hills $2,210, Mid-City:City Heights $1,760.

County costs set the floor for the budget. Because county figures describe a wider area than the city, the sector table is the better guide to what a given neighborhood costs: from $600,000 in Otay Mesa-Nestor to $1,033,000 in University. San Diego County: 0.68% effective rate, $854,700 median value, $5,774 median bill. For lenders, 2025 brought 17,087 loans with a median of $9,740 and a middle range of $6,863 to $17,069. HUD sets rent benchmarks of $2,823 and $3,743 for the county's area, by home size.

Calculate for California

If you buy

California state transfer tax

California has no state transfer tax; counties and cities may charge one.

Price$770,700
State transfer taxnot computed
Who paysSet by the purchase contract

Default price: the California median value of owner-occupied homes, $770,700 (Census ACS 2025). Not computed: No state tax. The tax is set by county and city, so it cannot be computed from the state alone. Who pays: Neither the state statute nor the City of Los Angeles FAQ assigns the tax; the purchase contract and escrow instructions decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. California transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: California state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Sectors of San Diego

San Diego is divided into the ten most populous of 57 community planning areas, one open spot per trade in each.

Source: City of San Diego open data, Community Planning Districts. Population per area is a Payotte estimate: the sum of Census ACS 2020-2024 populations (table B01003) of the 2020 census tracts whose internal point lies inside each official boundary.

Questions about buying a home in San Diego

How much is property tax in San Diego?

Homeowners in San Diego County pay a median $5,774 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $854,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in San Diego?

Home-purchase mortgages in San Diego County carried median total loan costs of $9,740 in 2025; half of the 17,087 loans fell between $6,863 and $17,069 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in San Diego?

California has no state transfer tax. Counties may charge $0.55 per $500 of value under the Documentary Transfer Tax Act, and cities such as Los Angeles add their own, with Measure ULA adding 4% or 5.5% on very high-priced sales.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in San Diego?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in San Diego ($906,700) equals 32.7 years of the median gross rent ($2,313 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in San Diego?

Across California, the main hazards for home insurance are earthquake, wildfire, flood and landslide, and the insurer of last resort is California FAIR Plan. A standard California homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage; insurers must offer earthquake coverage (Insurance Code 10081), and the FAIR Plan sells limited fire coverage up to $3 million for residential policyholders.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

California rules that apply in San Diego

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides