3-bed rent in San Diego: what is fair
The middle half of 3-bed listings ask between $3,500 and $5,500 a month, with a median of $4,100.
By area, the median runs from $3,000 in San Ysidro to $10,500 in La Jolla. 306 of 1048 listings with enough local data (29%) ask 10% or more above similar listings nearby: those are the ones to open under asking. The median listing has been up 19 days, and 482 of 1399 show a price cut in the last four months.
3-bed rent by area
| Area | Listings | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Overpriced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Beach / Mission Beach | 82 | $5,795 | $6,822 | $8,838 | – |
| Oceanside | 77 | $3,495 | $3,900 | $4,575 | 20% |
| Imperial Beach | 71 | $3,500 | $3,999 | $4,800 | 31% |
| La Jolla | 59 | $7,400 | $10,500 | $17,250 | – |
| Coronado | 59 | $6,000 | $6,995 | $10,000 | – |
| El Cajon | 54 | $3,196 | $3,548 | $3,975 | 40% |
| College Area | 47 | $3,375 | $3,835 | $4,350 | 33% |
| Linda Vista / Clairemont | 45 | $3,300 | $3,800 | $4,475 | 28% |
| Escondido | 44 | $3,450 | $3,725 | $4,496 | 43% |
| Chula Vista | 42 | $3,225 | $3,500 | $3,884 | 26% |
| Spring Valley | 39 | $3,120 | $3,350 | $3,972 | 33% |
| La Mesa | 36 | $3,500 | $3,922 | $4,212 | 38% |
| Mira Mesa | 36 | $3,738 | $4,000 | $4,424 | 15% |
| Clairemont | 32 | $4,275 | $4,550 | $5,606 | 23% |
| Otay Mesa / Nestor | 30 | $3,362 | $3,698 | $4,064 | 41% |
| Logan Heights / Barrio Logan | 29 | $2,999 | $3,295 | $3,500 | 26% |
| City Heights | 28 | $3,195 | $3,500 | $3,762 | 15% |
| North Park | 27 | $3,450 | $4,295 | $5,500 | 42% |
| Vista | 27 | $3,422 | $3,600 | $3,888 | 25% |
| Eastlake / Chula Vista | 27 | $3,842 | $3,995 | $4,398 | 30% |
| Golden Hill / Sherman Heights | 26 | $3,158 | $3,498 | $3,899 | 25% |
| San Marcos | 25 | $3,475 | $3,750 | $4,200 | 22% |
| Encanto | 25 | $3,100 | $3,295 | $3,495 | 8% |
| Santee | 25 | $3,120 | $3,550 | $3,850 | 52% |
| Encinitas | 22 | $6,875 | $7,750 | $8,975 | – |
| Otay Ranch / Chula Vista | 21 | $3,700 | $3,850 | $4,050 | – |
| Serra Mesa / Kearny Mesa | 19 | $3,500 | $3,995 | $4,345 | – |
| Rancho Bernardo / 4S Ranch | 18 | $3,862 | $4,225 | $4,571 | – |
| La Costa / Carlsbad | 18 | $4,025 | $5,000 | $5,662 | – |
| Hillcrest / Mission Hills | 18 | $4,244 | $5,500 | $5,975 | – |
| Carmel Valley | 18 | $4,499 | $4,945 | $5,200 | – |
| Bay Park / Morena | 17 | $3,750 | $4,600 | $4,950 | – |
| Normal Heights / Kensington | 17 | $3,895 | $4,200 | $4,495 | – |
| National City | 16 | $3,075 | $3,498 | $3,800 | – |
| University City | 15 | $4,100 | $4,495 | $5,124 | – |
| Paradise Hills | 15 | $3,298 | $3,480 | $3,565 | – |
| Carlsbad Village | 14 | $5,346 | $5,675 | $7,475 | – |
| Lemon Grove | 13 | $2,995 | $3,100 | $3,700 | – |
| Rancho Penasquitos | 12 | $3,483 | $4,250 | $5,150 | – |
| Poway | 12 | $3,612 | $3,950 | $4,244 | – |
| Aviara / Carlsbad | 11 | $5,100 | $5,600 | $6,825 | – |
| Del Cerro / Allied Gardens | 11 | $4,022 | $4,450 | $6,125 | – |
| Lakeside | 11 | $3,225 | $3,500 | $3,800 | – |
| Rancho Bernardo | 10 | $3,915 | $4,000 | $4,737 | – |
| Downtown / Little Italy | 9 | $2,995 | $3,500 | $4,500 | – |
| Cardiff | 9 | $5,900 | $8,200 | $12,619 | – |
| Scripps Ranch | 9 | $3,500 | $4,000 | $4,295 | – |
| Tierrasanta | 9 | $4,350 | $4,475 | $4,799 | – |
| Solana Beach | 8 | $6,462 | $7,475 | $9,870 | – |
| San Carlos | 8 | $3,499 | $4,198 | $4,425 | – |
| Ocean Beach | 7 | $4,448 | $5,000 | $8,404 | – |
| Sorrento Valley | 7 | $3,848 | $3,995 | $4,838 | – |
| Carlsbad | 7 | $3,898 | $4,150 | $4,748 | – |
| Rancho Santa Fe | 6 | $7,750 | $8,075 | $14,062 | – |
| San Ysidro | 6 | $2,962 | $3,000 | $3,000 | – |
| Mission Valley | 5 | $3,350 | $3,499 | $3,695 | – |
Other sizes
Median and percentiles are asking rents of whole-home rental listings seen active in the period, rooms and short-term rentals excluded. Overpriced is the share asking 10% or more above what similar listings nearby ask (the lower of our estimate and the median of at least three comparable listings), counted only among listings with enough local data and shown once there are 20. Cells with fewer than 5 listings are not quoted.
Page refreshed Sep 29, 2026, from listings seen active between Sep 20, 2026 and Sep 29, 2026. Refreshed monthly. Source: public rental listings collected by Lowball; estimates from our model (see accuracy).