Your monthly guide to rental conditions in San Diego Metro. This is our August 2026 report, covering July 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 — July 2026
Here's where San Diego Metro rents landed in July 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
The San Diego Metro median rent reached $2,955 in July 2026, essentially flat month-over-month (+0.41%) and down just 0.49% from a year ago, while homes averaged 35 days on market. Rent levels have largely stabilized after last year's softening, so landlords pricing at or slightly below the median should move vacancies without leaving much money on the table.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent (All Types, San Diego Metro) | $2,955 | +0.4% MoM |
| Avg. Days on Market | 35 days | — |
| Rent Growth YoY | -0.5% | — |
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, July 2026.
What's Driving San Diego Metro Rental Market Conditions Right Now
San Diego Metro Rental Supply and New Construction
New supply is concentrated in Mission Valley and the mid-city corridor, where roughly 4,785 multifamily units landed year-to-date through Q2 2026, with the largest projects clustered near the I-8/trolley spine. If your property sits in that corridor, you're competing directly with new Class A inventory. The pipeline is contracting, though: units under construction dropped about 21% year-over-year, so the supply pressure bearing down on Mission Valley and adjacent submarkets should ease as you move into 2027.
Why People Rent in San Diego Metro
The homeownership math still doesn't pencil for a large share of San Diego renters. With 30-year mortgage rates at 6.66% and entry-level homes pushing well past $1 million in most coastal and tech-adjacent submarkets, first-time buyers are staying in rentals longer than they'd like. The corridors drawing the steadiest renter demand are UTC, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, and Carmel Valley, where the biotech and tech cluster along the I-805/SR-56 belt keeps a steady inflow of well-employed tenants, and the completed Mid-Coast Trolley extension has made the UC San Diego and Torrey Pines Mesa area even more accessible to renters without cars.
What This Means for San Diego Metro Landlords
The summer leasing window is essentially over as of this week, and the market is already shifting toward renters having more negotiating leverage by September. The San Diego metro median rent sat at $2,955 in July, down 0.49% year-over-year, and homes were taking 35 days to lease, so price your vacancy at or slightly below comparable listings right now rather than holding out for peak-season numbers that have already passed.
San Diego Metro Rent by City — July 2026
Carlsbad leads the San Diego Metro in leasing speed at 25 days on market, with San Marcos and Chula Vista close behind at 27 and 28 days respectively. El Cajon stands out as the clear soft spot, taking 72 days to lease on average and posting the only month-over-month decline in the table at -2.3%. Outside El Cajon, the metro is remarkably tight, with five of seven cities leasing in 25 to 30 days.
| City | Median Rent | 2BR Median | 3BR Median | Avg. DOM | MoM Change | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | $3,234 | $3,683 | $5,191 | 30 days | +0.2% | +1.3% |
| Chula Vista, CA | $2,998 | $2,990 | $3,794 | 28 days | +3.2% | +3.5% |
| Oceanside, CA | $3,060 | $2,995 | $3,949 | 32 days | +1.6% | -2.5% |
| Escondido, CA | $2,200 | $2,483 | $3,495 | 29 days | +0.1% | -12.0% |
| San Marcos, CA | $3,409 | $2,911 | $3,717 | 27 days | +0.0% | +4.1% |
| El Cajon, CA | $2,100 | $2,150 | $3,520 | 72 days | -2.3% | +0.2% |
| Carlsbad, CA | $3,685 | $3,495 | $4,727 | 25 days | +0.1% | +1.9% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, July 2026. Median Rent is across all property types. |
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San Diego, CA: Mira Mesa renters anchored to Sorrento Valley employers and the UTC/Sorrento corridor keep steady demand in the city's inland tech pockets, while North Park draws young professionals priced out of coastal neighborhoods. The $3,234 median rent edged up a roughly flat 0.2% month-over-month and held 1.3% above last July, and homes leased in 30 days, right in line with the metro average.
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Chula Vista, CA: The $2,998 median rent jumped 3.2% from June, the strongest single-month gain in this table, and sits 3.5% above a year ago, making Chula Vista one of the few cities in the metro where both short- and long-term rent momentum are pointing clearly upward. At 28 days, homes leased slightly faster than the metro midpoint, confirming that demand kept pace with that price move.
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Oceanside, CA: The $3,060 median rent rose 1.6% month-over-month, a meaningful uptick, but the year-over-year figure tells a different story: rents were still 2.5% below last July, meaning the recent gains are clawing back ground rather than breaking new territory. Homes took 32 days to lease, a touch slower than the metro average, so price your vacancy with that YoY gap in mind.
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Escondido, CA: At $2,200, the median rent here is the second-lowest in this table, and the 12.0% year-over-year decline is the sharpest drop across all seven cities. Month-over-month movement was essentially zero at +0.1%, so rents appear to have stopped falling for now, but 29-day leasing speed is the only bright spot until the YoY gap closes.
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San Marcos, CA: The $3,409 median rent was flat on the month (0.0% MoM) but up 4.1% year-over-year, the second-strongest annual gain in this table. Homes leased in just 27 days, the second-fastest pace here, which means renters are still committing quickly even as monthly prices hold steady.
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El Cajon, CA: At $2,100, El Cajon is the most affordable city in this table, but the 72-day median DOM stands out sharply as the slowest leasing pace by a wide margin. The 2.3% month-over-month dip reinforces that pricing is not yet calibrated to where demand actually sits, so owners with vacancies should lean on that affordability angle and price to move rather than hold out.
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Carlsbad, CA: Carlsbad commanded the highest median rent in this table at $3,685, and homes leased in just 25 days, the fastest pace of any city listed. Monthly movement was a roughly flat +0.1%, but the 1.9% year-over-year gain shows rents are holding their premium position without giving ground.
San Diego Metro Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — July 2026
Rent by Bedroom Count in San Diego Metro
Rents across the San Diego metro scaled steadily from $2,096 for studios to $5,137 for 4-bedroom rentals, a spread of just over $3,000 between the smallest and largest options. The step from a 1-bedroom to a 2-bedroom carried the steepest dollar jump in the lower tier, at $691, but the biggest single leap in the entire table came between 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom rentals, where the median climbed $1,098, from $2,958 to $4,056. The move from 3-bedroom to 4-bedroom added another $1,081, nearly matching that gap, which means larger homes essentially hold a separate pricing tier of their own. Renters weighing the jump from a 1-bedroom to a 2-bedroom pay roughly $8,300 more per year; those stepping from 2-bedroom to 3-bedroom absorb closer to $13,200 in additional annual rent.
| Bedroom Count in San Diego Metro | Median Rent (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,096 |
| 1-Bedroom | $2,267 |
| 2-Bedroom | $2,958 |
| 3-Bedroom | $4,056 |
| 4-Bedroom | $5,137 |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, San Diego Metro, July 2026. |
Rent by Property Type in San Diego Metro
Single-family homes led every other property type in July 2026, with a median rent of $4,125, a $1,170 premium (39.6%) above the blended metro median of $2,955, and a 21-day DOM that beat the metro average by two weeks. Townhouses landed in the middle at $3,437, running 16.3% above the blended median and leasing in 35 days. Condos came in at $2,768, just 6.3% below the blended median and leased quickly at 25 days, faster than both townhouses and apartments. Apartments sat at the low end on both metrics, with a $2,610 median rent (11.7% below blended) and a 52-day DOM, the slowest of any property type by a wide margin.
| Property Type in San Diego Metro | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market | MoM Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Property Types (Blended) | $2,955 | 35 days | +0.4% |
| Single Family | $4,125 | 21 days | -0.3% |
| Condo | $2,768 | 25 days | -0.3% |
| Townhouse | $3,437 | 35 days | -0.5% |
| Apartment | $2,610 | 52 days | +0.1% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, San Diego Metro, July 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.