What San Diego actually costs.
Pick an area to start from its median sale price, or type any price below.
Redfin (Chula Vista citywide) · Jun 2026
WHAT IT ACTUALLY COSTS
The real monthly, and what you’d need to carry it.
Mortgage plus tax, insurance, HOA and PMI — and the income and cash you’d need to buy in Chula Vista (Western).
$164,411 at this price.
6.76% was the 30-year average on September 10, 2026; 15-year was 6.09%. Your quote depends on credit and loan size.
Most older detached homes have no HOA at all.
Our own read of listing data, not a published statistic. Replace it with the real figure the moment you have one.
San Diego averaged $1,896 a year on August 31, 2026 at $300,000 dwelling coverage, $1,000 deductible. A larger home needs more coverage — this does not scale itself.
Car payments, student loans, credit card minimums. These decide whether you qualify.
Total monthly cost of owning
$5,250/mo
$980 of that is not the mortgage. That is the part people leave out.
Household income needed
$224,995/yr
Gross, before tax. On the conventional guideline of housing under 28% of income and all debt under 36%.
Cash needed to close
$180,852 – $189,072
$164,411 down, plus buyer closing costs of roughly 2–3% of the price. Moving costs and reserves are on top of this.
Or work backwards
You could carry about
$728,000
At 20% down and 6.76%, carrying the same tax, insurance and HOA assumptions above. .
What this assumes
- Property tax at 1.20% of purchase price — California’s Prop 13 1% base plus typical San Diego County voter-approved add-ons. A newer master-planned development can carry Mello-Roos on top of this, which this figure does not include. The County Treasurer-Tax Collector publishes the actual bill for any parcel, which beats every estimate on this page once you have an address.
- Interest rate seeded from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey as of September 10, 2026. That survey assumes 20% down and excellent credit, so treat it as a floor rather than your rate.
- Insurance seeded from Insurify (August 31, 2026) at $300,000 dwelling coverage, $1,000 deductible. Aggregators disagree substantially on this number and none of them know your address. In fire-exposed parts of the county a real quote can run several times the city average, and that is the single line most likely to break a budget.
- This is arithmetic on visible assumptions, not a pre-approval, a quote, or financial advice. A lender is the only party who can tell you what you qualify for.
PROPERTY TAX
Property tax by area
At $822,053
~$9,900/yr
≈ 1.20% · Prop 13 base plus local add-ons
| Neighborhood | Median price | Est. annual tax |
|---|---|---|
| Barrio Logan | $682,500Homes.com · 12 mo to 2026 | ~$8,200 |
| Carlsbad | $1,583,952Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$19,000 |
| Chula Vista — Otay Ranch | $822,053Redfin (Chula Vista citywide) · Jun 2026city of Chula Vista (both western and eastern) | ~$9,900 |
| Chula Vista (Western) | $822,053Redfin (Chula Vista citywide) · Jun 2026city of Chula Vista (both western and eastern) | ~$9,900 |
| Coronado | $3,000,000Redfin · Jun 2026city of Coronado | ~$36,000 |
| Del Mar | $4,500,000Redfin · Jun 2026city of Del Mar | ~$54,000 |
| Downtown / Gaslamp | $679,672Redfin · Aug 2026Downtown San Diego | ~$8,200 |
| El Cajon | $735,000Redfin · Jun 2026city of El Cajon | ~$8,800 |
| Encinitas | $2,198,803Redfin · Jun 2026city of Encinitas | ~$26,000 |
| Escondido | $813,000Redfin · Jun 2026city of Escondido | ~$9,800 |
| Hillcrest | $782,500Redfin · Mar 2026 | ~$9,400 |
| Imperial Beach | $859,532Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$10,000 |
| Kearny Mesa | $879,076Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$11,000 |
| La Jolla | $2,389,846Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$29,000 |
| La Mesa | $897,012Redfin · Jun 2026city of La Mesa | ~$11,000 |
| Little Italy | $577,803Redfin · Jul 2026 | ~$6,900 |
| Mission Beach | $2,339,186Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$28,000 |
| Mission Valley | $557,231Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$6,700 |
| National City | $736,000Redfin · Jun 2026city of National City | ~$8,800 |
| North Park | $859,701Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$10,000 |
| Ocean Beach | $1,354,529Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$16,000 |
| Oceanside | $889,411Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$11,000 |
| Old Town | $940,000Homes.com · 12 mo to 2026 | ~$11,000 |
| Pacific Beach | $1,469,489Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$18,000 |
| Point Loma | $1,190,000Redfin · Jun 2026 | ~$14,000 |
| San Ysidro | $719,754Redfin · Jul 2026 | ~$8,600 |
| Santee | $786,979Redfin · Aug 2026city of Santee | ~$9,400 |
| South Park | $1,338,000Redfin · Mar 2026 | ~$16,000 |
| University City | $877,576Redfin · Aug 2026 | ~$11,000 |
Median sale price × ~1.20%, rounded.
NATURAL HAZARD DISCLOSURE
The state already requires sellers to tell you this.
Before you buy anywhere in California, state law requires the seller to disclose whether the property sits in a designated flood hazard zone, a very high fire hazard severity zone, or an earthquake fault zone — this is the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement (NHD). It doesn't tell you the exact risk, only whether the zone applies. Always read the actual NHD report before closing, not just this summary.
California Civil Code §1103.2 — full statutory textFIRE-ZONE INSURANCE
Insurance varies sharply by fire zone.
San Diego has both low-risk urban areas and designated high-fire- hazard-severity-zone areas. Insurance cost — and in some zones, even availability — now varies sharply between them. Check a specific address against Cal Fire's public zone map before you assume a rate:
Cal Fire — Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewerGet a quote before you're in escrow, not after.
Official Realtor of San Diego Tips
Jocelyn Villatoro
Lead Agent, Josh Kim Team
DRE #02104648
Jocelyn Villatoro is the Lead Agent for the Josh Kim Team and has been successfully selling real estate in San Diego since 2019, with 8 years of experience.