Your monthly guide to rental conditions in San Diego Metro. This is our July 2026 report, covering June 2026 rental data: what rents looked like last month, what's driving the market, and what it means if you own a rental home.
San Diego Metro Rental Market Snapshot — June 2026
Here's where San Diego Metro rents landed in June 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
The San Diego Metro median rent reached $2,979 in June 2026, up 1.82% from May, though essentially flat year-over-year (-0.08%). Most of the metro leased briskly, in the 20-to-32-day range, with El Cajon the lone slow submarket pulling the average up to 34 days. Price your vacancy competitively to capture a summer tenant before the window closes.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent (All Types, San Diego Metro) | $2,979 | +1.8% MoM |
| Avg. Days on Market | 34 days | — |
| Rent Growth YoY | -0.1% | — |
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, June 2026.
What's Driving San Diego Metro Rental Market Conditions Right Now
San Diego Metro Rental Supply and New Construction
New apartment supply in the San Diego metro is tapering after a record 2025, and the pressure is concentrated in specific corridors rather than spread evenly across the region. The bulk of the roughly 3,670 units expected to open in 2026 are landing inside the city of San Diego — about 79%, with Mission Valley, Kearny Mesa, Bankers Hill, and Serra Mesa absorbing the heaviest concentration, so landlords in those submarkets are competing directly against new product while owners in North Park, Carmel Valley, or Mira Mesa face far less head-to-head competition. The longer-term picture actually tightens supply: units actively under construction fell 24% year-over-year to 11,323 in Q1 2026, which means 2027 and 2028 pipelines are already shrinking.
Why People Rent in San Diego Metro
At a 6.49% mortgage rate on the 30-year fixed, the monthly cost to buy a sub-$1 million home in San Diego pushes most first-time buyers out of the market and into rentals, extending their renter tenure by years. The metro's 115,000-plus active-duty military personnel provide a steady rental base anchored to bases across the region, and the completed Mid-Coast Trolley extension has made the UTC and Sorrento Valley corridor noticeably more attractive to UCSD students and Torrey Pines Mesa biotech workers who want a car-light commute. Meanwhile, tenant search demand in Mission Beach and Golden Hill surged 24% and 90% year-over-year respectively, a concrete sign that renter interest is shifting into neighborhoods that haven't been on most landlords' radar.
What This Means for San Diego Metro Landlords
You're still inside the summer peak leasing window, but it's closing fast: military PCS move season slows and tourist activity drops as August winds down, and by October renters historically hold the most negotiating leverage in this market. Price your vacancy competitively right now to capture a summer tenant rather than carrying it into the fall, when the combination of fewer relocating military households and the end of tourist season consistently softens demand across the metro.
San Diego Metro Rent by City — June 2026
Escondido leads the San Diego Metro in leasing speed at 20 days on market, with Carlsbad and Chula Vista close behind at 25 days each. El Cajon sits at the other end of the table with a 74-day average DOM, more than double any other city and a clear outlier in an otherwise active market. Most cities leased in under 32 days in June, with Oceanside posting the sharpest month-over-month rent growth at +5.3%, suggesting demand picked up there even as leasing pace lagged slightly behind Escondido and Carlsbad.
| City | Median Rent | 2BR Median | 3BR Median | Avg. DOM | MoM Change | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | $3,215 | $3,685 | $5,053 | 29 days | +1.2% | +1.0% |
| Chula Vista, CA | $2,978 | $2,991 | $3,756 | 25 days | +1.2% | -0.5% |
| Oceanside, CA | $3,142 | $3,144 | $4,158 | 32 days | +5.3% | +0.5% |
| Escondido, CA | $2,197 | $2,399 | $3,495 | 20 days | +1.0% | -10.8% |
| San Marcos, CA | $3,454 | $2,991 | $3,795 | 31 days | +0.8% | +5.7% |
| El Cajon, CA | $2,100 | $2,195 | $3,400 | 74 days | +0.2% | +0.2% |
| Carlsbad, CA | $3,768 | $3,515 | $4,853 | 25 days | +3.0% | +3.4% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, June 2026. Median Rent is across all property types. |
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San Diego, CA: The median rent hit $3,215 in June, up 1.2% month-over-month and 1.0% year-over-year, with homes leasing in 29 days. That's a solid leasing pace that points to steady demand across the city's diverse renter base, from military households to biotech workers and UCSD affiliates anchored to the Mid-Coast Trolley corridor.
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Chula Vista, CA: The median rent reached $2,978 in June, up 1.2% month-over-month but down 0.5% year-over-year. Homes leased in 25 days, one of the faster paces in the metro, so while the annual trend is slightly negative, the short DOM suggests tenants are still moving quickly when they find the right unit at the right price.
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Oceanside, CA: Oceanside posted a sharp 5.3% month-over-month rent increase in June, pushing the median to $3,142, though homes averaged 32 days on market, a touch slower than most of the metro. That combination of a big single-month jump and a longer leasing timeline is worth watching; the spike may reflect a thin inventory moment rather than a broad acceleration, given the modest 0.5% year-over-year gain.
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Escondido, CA: The median rent in Escondido was $2,197 in June, the second-lowest in this group, and it came with a steep 10.8% year-over-year decline. The saving grace is a 20-day DOM, the fastest in the metro, which means tenants are absorbing available units quickly at these lower price points. If you own here, lean into the competitive rent level rather than fighting the annual trend.
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San Marcos, CA: The median rent climbed to $3,454 in June, up 5.7% year-over-year, the strongest annual gain in the metro. Homes leased in 31 days, in line with the metro average. That combination of rising rents and consistent demand suggests San Marcos has pricing power right now, likely supported by families drawn to the area's school options and proximity to Cal State San Marcos.
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El Cajon, CA: El Cajon's 74-day DOM in June was the longest by far in the metro, more than double most other cities in this table. The median rent was $2,100, and month-over-month growth was essentially flat at 0.2%. If you have a vacancy here, price sharply and get it in front of tenants quickly; at this leasing pace, sitting on the market costs more than a modest rent concession would.
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Carlsbad, CA: Carlsbad commanded the highest median rent in the group at $3,768 in June, up 3.0% month-over-month and 3.4% year-over-year, while homes leased in just 25 days. That's a strong across-the-board result: rents are rising, demand is consistent, and tenants are committing fast. Owners here have genuine pricing leverage heading into the back half of summer.
San Diego Metro Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — June 2026
Rent by Bedroom Count in San Diego Metro
Rent across the San Diego Metro scaled steadily by bedroom count in June 2026, with the overall spread running from $2,137 for studios to $5,295 for 4-bedroom rentals, a $3,158 gap from smallest to largest. The step from 1-bedroom to 2-bedroom units added $702 per month, but the two biggest jumps came higher up the size ladder: 2-bedroom to 3-bedroom added $1,085, and 3-bedroom to 4-bedroom added $1,222. By contrast, the move from a studio to a 1-bedroom cost renters only $149 more per month, making that the smallest pricing gap between any two adjacent tiers. Owners of larger rentals are capturing meaningfully more rent per unit, with 4-bedroom properties commanding more than double what studios fetched last month.
| Bedroom Count in San Diego Metro | Median Rent (June 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,137 |
| 1-Bedroom | $2,286 |
| 2-Bedroom | $2,988 |
| 3-Bedroom | $4,073 |
| 4-Bedroom | $5,295 |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, San Diego Metro, June 2026. |
Rent by Property Type in San Diego Metro
Single-family homes led every other property type in June, with a median rent of $4,112, which was $1,133 (38.0%) above the blended metro median of $2,979. They also leased fastest, at 21 days on market, compared to 32 days for townhouses and 48 days for apartments. Condos and apartments both came in below the blended median, at $2,784 (-6.5%) and $2,630 (-11.7%) respectively, with apartments sitting on the market more than twice as long as single-family homes. Townhouses landed in the middle at $3,683, a 23.6% premium over the blended median, but their 32-day average DOM suggests slightly softer absorption than the single-family and condo segments.
| Property Type in San Diego Metro | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market | MoM Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Property Types (Blended) | $2,979 | 34 days | +1.8% |
| Single Family | $4,112 | 21 days | +1.3% |
| Condo | $2,784 | 24 days | +1.2% |
| Townhouse | $3,683 | 32 days | +10.2% |
| Apartment | $2,630 | 48 days | +1.7% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, San Diego Metro, June 2026. |
Data Sources & Methodology
- Rental market data: Median rents, days on market, listing counts, and rent change figures. Sourced from county public records, deed and tax assessor data, and rental listings on publicly accessible platforms.
- Doorstead Platform Data: Internal leasing outcomes from Doorstead-managed rental homes across all property types, including days to lease. Trailing 12 months.
Data refreshed monthly. Doorstead benchmarks reflect managed properties only and may not be representative of the broader San Diego Metro rental market.