San Diego, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·San Diego

San Diego County · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad · population 1,404,452

Big-city amenities
San Diego, CA
Image: Wikipedia · San Diego
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
56
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where San Diego stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $1,006,261
1-year -2.9%
5-yr CAGR +5.4%
vs 5-yr peak -4.1%
Population +0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-07$1006k$509k$703k$897k$1092k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
55/100
Some transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
40/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,942/mo$2,083$2,602$3,121202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent130133100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 28.5
Rent

At a 28.5 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in San Diego for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
36 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
67 · w22%
Distance from peak
65 · w18%
Population growth
51 · w16%
Rent YoY
53 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
70 · w10%
Long thesis

San Diego is a major US metro showing +5.4% annualized appreciation with 1,404,452 residents — scale plus growth. The kind of city that doesn't need a thesis; the data has been making its own case for years.

Short thesis

San Diego carries a $1,006,261 median home with only -2.9% YoY. Premium pricing in a flat tape is the bear setup — you're paying for the trend that already ran while new buyers can't afford to extend it.

About San Diego

San Diego is a city in San Diego County, California, with an estimated population of 1,404,452. It anchors the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. The median home value in San Diego is $1,006,261 as of 2026-04, down 2.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.4% annual growth (-4.1% from the 5-year peak). Rents in San Diego average $2,942 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.2%). The composite momentum score is 56 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
○Scale = optionality: 1,404,452 population gives you airports, hospitals, a deep job market, and a real cultural scene.

▼ Bear case

●Expensive AND not growing: median home $1,006,261 with only -2.9% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
●Cooling: -2.9% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.

About San Diego (Wikipedia)

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County. It is known for its mild Mediterranean climate, extensive beaches and parks, long association with the United States Navy, and recent emergence as a wireless, electronics, healthcare, and biotechnology development center.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorTodd Gloria (D)
Area372.42 sq mi
EstablishedMarch 27, 1850
Density4255.96/sq mi
Named forSaint Didacus of Alcalá

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in San Diego(Tourism)

  • Casa de Balboa
  • Balboa Park
  • San Diego History Center
  • Belmont Park
  • San Diego Zoo
  • San Diego Zoo Safari Park
  • SeaWorld San Diego
  • Mission San Diego de Alcalá
  • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
  • Sport fishing

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for San Diego County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. San Diego County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of San Diego

113 tracked · ranked by median home value
1North City$2,875,640+0.5%
2Sunset Cliffs$2,552,347-6.3%
3Del Mar Heights$2,526,579-0.6%
4La Jolla$2,459,088+4.2%
5Rancho Encantado$2,375,777-0.2%
6La Playa$2,216,783+0.8%
7Wooded Area$2,183,592-0.1%
8Black Mountain Ranch$2,144,399-2.1%
9Carmel Valley$1,973,968-1.4%
10Roseville – Fleet Ridge$1,942,499-0.9%
11Mission Hills$1,905,784-2.7%
12Torrey Highlands$1,843,261-0.9%
13Mission Beach$1,803,027-0.2%
14Horton Plaza$1,742,821+0.6%
15Loma Portal$1,638,077-2.9%
16Miramar Ranch North$1,574,892-0.9%
17Kensington$1,573,417+2.2%
18Burlingame$1,480,168+1.6%
19Bay Park$1,440,284-1.8%
20Scripps Ranch$1,409,692-1.5%
21Pacific Beach$1,391,698-1.3%
22Rancho Penasquitos$1,380,079-5.4%
23Sorrento Valley$1,359,103-4.0%
24Del Cerro$1,355,663+1.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like San Diego

San Jose, CA56 · StableChula Vista, CA58 · StableRiverside, CA60 · StableFremont, CA53 · Stable

Run the numbers for San Diego

ToolCan I afford San Diego?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a San Diego rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare San Diego to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolSan Diego cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
258
~71% of year
Annual precip
22″ rain
8″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very high
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current San Diego listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$91,500
California state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechEntertainmentAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to San Diego

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