San Diego, California Rental Market Trends
Any shifts in rent prices brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet reflected in the statistics on this page. Please bear this in mind when referencing the data below, as it may not accurately describe the current context of the San Diego, California rental market.
San Diego, California
Average Apartment Rent
$3,001
Y-o-Y Change in Average
Apartment Rent
-0.9%
As of November 2024
Compared to a year ago, San Diego, California apartments have recorded a -0.9% rent decrease.
San Diego, California Average apartment rent trend
San Diego, California Average Apartment Rent
San Diego, California Apartment rent ranges
At 92.05%, apartments priced Over $2,000 represent the bulk of San Diego, California rentals, while condos priced Under $500 hold the lowest share of the market – 0.02%.
San Diego, California Housing tenure**
Renters take up 52% of San Diego, California real estate, occupying a total of 270,152 units, while homeowners live in 245,323 properties.
Median number of rooms of renter-occupied housing units**
3.7
Renter median household income**
$75,291
Average household size of renter-occupied housing units**
2.45
Rental vacancy rate**
4.3%
San Diego, California Renter-occupied housing units by no. of bedrooms**
There are 106,253 rentals in San Diego, California with 2 beds making up the highest share of the market, at 39%. Units with 5 or more beds, on the other hand, hold the lowest percentage (1%), amounting to 2,558 units. Overall, the median number of rooms in San Diego, California homes for rent is 3.7.
San Diego, California Renter-occupied units by age of householder**
Most condos for rent in San Diego, California are occupied by residents in the 25 - 34 years age group (33%), followed by those in the 35 - 44 years age group (22%). At the same time, people in the 85 years and over age group make up the lowest share of the local rental market – 1%.
San Diego, California Renter-occupied housing units by family type**
San Diego, California Renter-occupied housing units by the presence of own children**
A total of 132,380 apartments for rent in San Diego, California, or 49% of all rentals are family households. Additionally, 26% of rental homes include children under the age of 18 – that’s 70,221 units. All in all, the median size of a renter-occupied household in San Diego, California is 2.45.
San Diego, California Renter-occupied housing units by educational attainment**
In terms of education, renters holding bachelor degrees or higher make up 47% of the rental market. In contrast, residents with less than a high school degree reside in 9% of the homes for rent in San Diego, California.
San Diego, California Renter-occupied units by year structure built**
The highest share of San Diego, California apartment rentals, namely 21% or 56,494 units, were Built 1970 - 1979, followed by those Built 1980 - 1989 (18%, 47,292 units), and the ones Built 1990 - 1999 (12%, 33,620 units).
San Diego, California Renter-occupied units by year householder moved in**
Median year renter moved into unit 2017
Most San Diego, California renters (42%) moved in 2010 to 2017, while only 1% of them moved in 1989 or earlier. Overall, the median year renters have occupied their San Diego, California condos for rent is 2017.
San Diego, California Renter-occupied housing units by vehicles available**
When it comes to transportation options, 42% of San Diego, California renters have 1 vehicle available per household, 36% of them have 2 vehicles available, and 10% have No vehicle available.
San Diego, California Means of transportation to work of householders living in renter-occupied housing units**
San Diego, California Geographical mobility in the past year for householders living in renter-occupied housing units**
San Diego, California Average apartment rent by zip codes
The rental statistics on this page were compiled using data provided by our sister company, Yardi Matrix, an apartment market intelligence solution which offers comprehensive information on all San Diego, California apartment buildings 50 units or larger. Yardi Matrix covers ~80% of the U.S. metro area population, including over 80,000 properties and 15.2 million apartments across 124 U.S. markets.
*Average single-family rent calculated from point2homes.com data.
**Data sourced from U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates