A new report on rental prices shows San Diego County remains one of the most expensive regions in the nation.
The new report published by Zumper, a rental platform that provides monthly national data on rent prices, found the city San Diego ranks as the 8th most expensive city to rent nationwide.
Why it matters
- San Diego County has consistently shown up in "most expensive" lists and reports showing residents need to earn well above federal poverty guidelines to thrive.
- Recent data also shows most San Diegans are thinking of moving because of the cost of living, including housing.
- And in 2022, San Diego County lost population for the first time in a decade.
By the numbers
Crystal Chen with Zumper said the monthly report also breaks down metro areas including the San Diego market.
“We do kind of a zoom in on San Diego's market and that covers about 12 cities in the metro area and San Diego ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the metro report,” she said.
In February, a one bedroom rental in San Diego was $2,300 dollars, which is a of couple hundred dollars more than the state median price, but almost $1,000 more than Zumper’s national rent index.
The top three most expensive cities to rent in the San Diego metro area were:
- Coronado, with one bedroom rentals at $3,900 a month
- Encinitas, with one bedroom rentals at $2,700 a month
- Carlsbad, with one bedroom rentals at $2,400 a month
The report also shows the three most affordable places to rent:
- El Cajon, with a one bedroom at $1780 a month
- La Mesa, with a one bedroom at $1980 a month
- Chula Vista / Escondido / Imperial Beach, with a one bedroom at $2,000 a month
The report also found that rentals in National City have increased the most since last year.
Looking ahead
But Chen has some good news for renters. City of San Diego rent has been declining for the last five months and this year more than 4,000 new apartments are going to become available countywide.
"Then also the U.S. Census Bureau showed that almost 31,000 more people moved out of the county last year than moved in," she said. "So that results in a slight dip in San Diego's population overall, likely because a lot of people are priced out of the area from the last two years."
