Studio rent in San Diego: what is fair
The middle half of studio listings ask between $1,675 and $2,212 a month, with a median of $1,895.
By area, the median runs from $1,500 in Otay Mesa / Nestor to $2,650 in La Jolla. 81 of 211 listings with enough local data (38%) ask 10% or more above similar listings nearby: those are the ones to open under asking. The median listing has been up 20 days, and 93 of 362 show a price cut in the last four months.
Studio rent by area
| Area | Listings | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Overpriced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown / Little Italy | 33 | $1,650 | $1,995 | $2,449 | 57% |
| Golden Hill / Sherman Heights | 30 | $1,596 | $1,735 | $1,856 | 21% |
| Pacific Beach / Mission Beach | 24 | $1,938 | $2,050 | $2,706 | – |
| Hillcrest / Mission Hills | 23 | $1,798 | $1,875 | $2,222 | 35% |
| North Park | 21 | $1,650 | $1,800 | $2,100 | – |
| Normal Heights / Kensington | 18 | $1,650 | $1,722 | $2,200 | – |
| La Jolla | 14 | $2,250 | $2,650 | $4,224 | – |
| Ocean Beach | 14 | $1,861 | $1,972 | $2,412 | – |
| Oceanside | 11 | $1,892 | $2,050 | $2,548 | – |
| Bay Park / Morena | 11 | $1,695 | $1,800 | $1,922 | – |
| Chula Vista | 11 | $1,650 | $1,775 | $1,875 | – |
| Escondido | 10 | $1,746 | $1,775 | $1,900 | – |
| College Area | 9 | $1,650 | $2,095 | $2,600 | – |
| La Mesa | 9 | $1,675 | $1,750 | $1,800 | – |
| Carlsbad Village | 8 | $2,038 | $2,274 | $2,494 | – |
| City Heights | 8 | $1,600 | $1,788 | $1,921 | – |
| National City | 8 | $1,546 | $1,662 | $1,988 | – |
| Clairemont | 7 | $1,825 | $1,875 | $2,300 | – |
| Linda Vista / Clairemont | 7 | $1,560 | $1,695 | $2,000 | – |
| Point Loma | 6 | $1,788 | $1,900 | $1,975 | – |
| Mira Mesa | 6 | $1,725 | $2,075 | $2,275 | – |
| Logan Heights / Barrio Logan | 6 | $1,435 | $1,575 | $1,775 | – |
| Imperial Beach | 5 | $1,650 | $1,695 | $2,100 | – |
| Vista | 5 | $1,875 | $1,895 | $2,050 | – |
| Lemon Grove | 5 | $1,500 | $1,595 | $1,699 | – |
| Otay Mesa / Nestor | 5 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,695 | – |
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).