San Diego’s status as one of the nation’s most expensive rental markets is on shaky ground.
The median rent for a San Diego County one-bedroom apartment was $2,220 a month in January, down 5.5% in a year, said Zumper’s national rent report. That ranks San Diego metro at No. 9 in the real estate website’s priciest markets — down from No. 7 for the better part of two years post-pandemic.
As recently as November 2023, San Diego metro was still in the top seven but was slowly falling, hitting No. 10 to start last year before bouncing back slightly.
The priciest market in January was New York, with a median one-bedroom rent of $4,320 a month. It was followed by San Francisco, at $3,670 a month, and Jersey City, at $3,000 a month.
“The U.S. rental market is largely frozen right now,” said Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades, “caught between elevated economic uncertainty and the normal seasonal slowdown we see in the winter months.”
National rents are down 2% annually but Zumper said Southern California is seeing more of a slowdown because of increased supply. San Diego County is expected to deliver 3,670 new apartments this year, said real estate tracker CoStar. That’s down from 6,176 in 2025, but still above historical averages.
Recent studies from Apartment List and others have noted increased supply as one factor behind softer rent growth, but also cited a weaker job market and general economic uncertainty as reasons why landlords aren’t getting higher rents. A statement from the White House earlier this week claimed that President Donald Trump was to thank for “real, immediate relief to American families” as rents have fallen.
In Zumper’s list of 100 metros, the least expensive place to rent an apartment was Wichita, Kan., in January with a median of $710 a month for a one-bedroom unit.
Rent prices can vary a lot throughout San Diego County based on size and location. Zumper breaks down data by city so there isn’t, say, a distinction between downtown San Diego and North Park. Here’s how the county’s different cities vary in monthly rent prices in order of most expensive:
Coronado
Coronado in December (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $3,190 (up 0.3% in a month, down 14.2% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $5,600 (down 5.1% in a month, down 1.8% in a year)
Carlsbad
Crushed oyster shells were being spread to restore the endangered California least tern nesting sites (at left) near the Batiquitos Lagoon double track project in Carlsbad in December. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,480 (up 0.4% in a month, down 1.2% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $3,510 (up 6% in a month, up 5.4% in a year)
San Marcos
The new 222 North City building, which has 458 apartments, in San Marcos. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,390 (down 2.4% in a month, up 4.4% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,750 (down 1.8% in a month, also down 1.8% in a year)
San Diego
Cole Smith, left, and Brent Schertzer of Holland Partner Group, stand on a 9th-floor deck at The Torrey, a 34-story, 450-unit luxury residential tower in downtown. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,260 (up 0.4% in a month, down 1.7% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,990 (flat monthly, down 5.1% in a year)
Vista
The Vista sign crosses Santa Fe Ave. in Vista in late December. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,220 (flat monthly, down 0.5% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,650 (flat monthly and annually)
Oceanside
Avery McDonald competes during the first day of Super Girl Surf Pro competition at Oceanside Pier in September. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,040 (down 6% in a month, down 11.3% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,610 (down 3.3% in a month, down 4.4% in a year)
Chula Vista
Trolley passengers heading south on the Blue Line board at the H Street Station in Chula Vista in mid-December. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,000 (flat monthly, flat year-over-year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,880 (up 2.9% monthly and annually)
La Mesa
Shoppers walk past construction inside the Grossmont Center in La Mesa in mid-January. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $2,000 (flat monthly, down 2.4% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,500 (down 0.4% in a month, flat annually)
Escondido
A Zen monk procession at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido in late January. (Photo by LaTresa Pearson)
One-bedroom median: $1,960 (up 5.4% in a month, down 1% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,400 (down 0.4% in a month, down 2.4% in a year)
Imperial Beach
The sunset at Imperial Beach Pier in early January. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $1,930 (down 2% in a month, down 8.1% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,600 (up 4% in a month, down 0.8% in a year)
National City
Construction continues on Pepper Park along the San Diego Bay waterfront in late December in National City. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $1,830 (up 4% in a month, down 7.1% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,630 (down 1.5% in a month, down 2.6% in a year)
El Cajon
The Good Shepherd Community Resource Center in El Cajon in September. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One-bedroom median: $1,790 (flat monthly, down 0.6% in a year)
Two-bedroom median: $2,230 (up 1.4% monthly and annually)