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Prototype of a planned home-buying brokerage for the 50 largest U.S. cities. Not a licensed brokerage in any state, and no brokerage services are offered. Listings, people and companies are sample data; market statistics are real public data, cited where shown.

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Trends · California

House prices and costs in San Diego, CA

How house prices moved across 40 San Diego ZIP codes, what buyers here borrowed and paid, what's new and how buying works in California. Public data, with sources and dates. Past change, not a forecast.

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro house prices +0.2% in the year to 2026 Q2 (FHFA, purchases)

7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR.

How house prices moved in San Diego, 2022–2025

Of 24 ZIPs with enough data, 19 rose 7% or more, 0 fell 7% or more and 1 moved less (no clear change); 4 swung too much from year to year to rank. Past rankings are a weak guide: of the ZIPs in their city's top 3 for 2019–2022, 25 of 134 (about 1 in 5) were top 3 again for 2022–2025; chance alone would give about 21. Past change, not a forecast.

FHFA's experimental ZIP house price index: houses with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans, from sales and refinance appraisals. Condos, co-ops and multi-unit buildings aren't in it. Tap a ZIP to see it on the map.

Largest house-price rises, 2022–2025

3-year change of the ZIP index; ZIPs with an index every year, 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. Left out as too jumpy: a ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another. Each year's change below.

  1. 1ZIP 921292023 +16.5% · 2024 +8.8% · 2025 -1.5%+24.9%
  2. 2ZIP 92103 · includes Mission Hills2023 +7.8% · 2024 +10.8% · 2025 +3.4%+23.5%
  3. 3ZIP 92117 · includes Clairemont2023 +7.9% · 2024 +10.4% · 2025 +2.7%+22.3%
  4. 4ZIP 921242023 +7.1% · 2024 +15.9% · 2025 -2.4%+21.1%
  5. 5ZIP 921072023 +15.6% · 2024 +1.1% · 2025 +3.5%+21.0%

Largest house-price falls, 2022–2025

3-year change of the ZIP index; ZIPs with an index every year, 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. Left out as too jumpy: a ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another. Each year's change below.

No San Diego ZIP's house prices fell 7% or more from 2022 to 2025.

Lowest owner-reported values

Median value owners report (Census ACS 2020–2024). Left out: ZIPs under 1,000 residents, less reliable estimates, and ZIPs where most owners live in condos or co-ops.

  1. 1ZIP 92173± $36K · ≈ $3,505/mo housing payment (est.) on a house, 20% down$535K
  2. 2ZIP 92113± $19K · ≈ $4,011/mo housing payment (est.) on a house, 20% down$614K
  3. 3ZIP 92139± $18K · ≈ $4,116/mo housing payment (est.) on a house, 20% down$631K
  4. 4ZIP 92105± $28K · ≈ $4,147/mo housing payment (est.) on a house, 20% down$636K
  5. 5ZIP 92154± $11K · ≈ $4,170/mo housing payment (est.) on a house, 20% down$639K

Population grew most

Residents, 2015–2019 to 2020–2024 (Census ACS): only changes larger than the margin of error, in ZIPs with 1,000+ residents.

  1. 1ZIP 9210826,790 residents+20.2%
  2. 2ZIP 9213060,768 residents+8.3%
  3. 3ZIP 92037 · includes La Jolla40,717 residents+6.7%

Public loan records · 2025

What buyers here actually borrowed and paid (2025)

2025 home-purchase loans (first liens) on owner-occupied 1–4 unit homes in San Diego's census tracts: 6,544 loans. These are loans that closed in San Diego, not offers: a rate depends on your credit, down payment, points and the day you lock it.

Interest rate, 30-year fixed (conventional)
6.25% to 6.875%Middle half of loans; median 6.625% · 3,742 loans
Loan costs at closing
$6,556 to $12,556Middle half; median $8,484. Origination charges (points included) and settlement services, Closing Disclosure section D · 4,999 loans
Borrowed, every loan on the home combined
80% of the value (median)Middle half 70% to 92.2%. 38.8% of buyers borrowed more than 80% of the value, 25.9% more than 90%, 17.7% more than 95%. HMDA's combined loan-to-value: every loan on the home (second loans, down-payment-assistance loans and financed FHA or VA fees too) ÷ the value the lender used, so it doesn't show the cash buyers put down · 6,216 loans
Loan types
Conventional 78.1% · FHA 7.2%VA 14.7% · USDA 0%
Discount points
39.8% of loans paid pointsMedian paid: $3,544. Points buy a lower rate.
Loan limits, 2026
$1,104,000 conformingAbove it, a jumbo loan with its own rates and rules; FHA limit $1,104,000 (one-unit home, San Diego County)

For comparison: 7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR. Source: FFIEC Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data: 2025 Snapshot National Loan-Level Dataset (data as of June 1, 2026), via the CFPB HMDA Data Browser; Homiy's calculations (2025 loans; retrieved 2026-09-27).

Research · dated and sourced

What's new in San Diego

Rail openings, zoning changes and big projects from primary sources, newest first. Stars on the map mark the ones with a location. News, not a price forecast.

  1. Zoning change

    SB79 transit-oriented housing rules take effect

    Eligible mapped sites in this urban transit county may use state density, height and floor-area standards. Local exemptions and alternative plans matter; proximity alone does not imply a fixed number of homes.

    California HCD, SB 79 Transit-Oriented Development
  2. Zoning change

    2026 ADU rules clarify combinations and JADU occupancy

    The HCD March 2026 handbook explains combining converted, junior and detached ADUs. A JADU with its own bathroom no longer requires owner-occupancy; shared-bathroom JADUs do. These are conditional rights, not permit guarantees.

    California HCD, ADU Handbook (Gov. Code §§66314, 66323, 66333)
  3. Zoning change

    Pre-approved ADU plans get a statewide review pathway

    AB1332 required local ADU pre-approval programs by this date. A pre-approved plan still needs site-specific checks, utilities and a building permit.

    California HCD, ADU Handbook (Gov. Code §§66314, 66323, 66333)

Metro area · public data

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

House prices, year to 2026 Q2
+0.2%FHFA purchase-only index
House prices, 5 years to 2026 Q2
+26.4%FHFA purchase-only index
House prices, 2025
+1.9%All sales and refinances, like the ZIP figures; 2022–2025: +13.7%
New homes permitted
3.2 per 1,000 residents10,553 homes · -14.5% vs a year earlier · Sep 2025–Aug 2026
Jobs, 12 months
+0.7%Aug 2026 (preliminary)
Population, July 2020 to July 2025
-0.6%3,282,248 residents in July 2025 (Census estimates)
Mortgage rate benchmark
7.03%Freddie Mac average, week of Sep 24, 2026

7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR. New homes permitted is a supply signal: more permits per resident usually means more homes coming to market. Jobs, permits and population cover the whole metro.

Natural hazards, compared with other U.S. counties

  • San Diego County, CA: expected yearly losses rated very high for earthquake, wildfire, inland flooding; expected yearly losses rated relatively high for heat wave.
    Other ratings for San Diego County, CA
    • HurricaneVery Low
    • Coastal floodingRelatively Moderate
    • TornadoRelatively Moderate
    • Winter weatherRelatively Low
    • HailRelatively Moderate

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025: Expected Annual Loss rating of each hazard, by county (NRI December 2025): expected annual losses to buildings, people and agriculture; FEMA's social-vulnerability adjustments aren't included. This describes each county, not this home. Check the address on FEMA's flood map; in a high-risk flood zone, a federally backed loan requires flood insurance.

Sources (10)

Research summary · not legal advice

How buying works in California

The usual steps, deadlines and closing costs for a purchase in San Diego, from state law, standard contract forms and local custom. Contracts can change any of it. Homiy is a prototype: it isn't a licensed brokerage in California and offers no services here.

Who runs the closing
An escrow company runs the closing and holds the money. Typical time from contract to keys: about 30 days.
The contract
Your signed offer becomes a binding contract once the seller accepts it.
Details

C.A.R. California Residential Purchase Agreement and Joint Escrow Instructions (RPA)

Buyer agreement
C.A.R. Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement, signed before touring.
Details

State law: signed as soon as practicable and no later than the buyer's offer, 3 months at most, no automatic renewal (Civil Code 1670.50). NAR's 2024 rule moves it before the first tour.

Source: Cal. Civil Code §1670.50 (AB 2992) buyer-broker agreements (effective 2025-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-27)

Inspection
About 17 days for inspections.
Details

RPA default investigation contingency: 17 days; removed in writing (C.A.R. form CR).

Earnest money
1–3% of the price, due within 3 business days, held by: Escrow holder.
Details

RPA ¶3D(1): delivered within 3 business days after acceptance, usually by wire. Typical % is a sample.

Seller's disclosure
Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) plus Natural Hazard Disclosure You may cancel within 5 days in some cases: a required disclosure delivered after the offer is signed: 5 days if e-delivered or mailed, 3 days if handed over in person.
Details

Civil Code 1102.3: the buyer may terminate by written notice; most disclosures now arrive electronically.

Source: Cal. Civil Code §1102.3 late-disclosure termination right (retrieved 2026-09-27)

Loan and appraisal
Loan contingency: 17 days (set in the contract).
Details

RPA defaults: loan and appraisal contingencies 17 days each. The 2026 RPA adds an optional appraisal-gap clause: the buyer covers a stated shortfall before the contingency applies.

Title insurance
Who pays for the owner's policy varies; the contract decides.
Details

Custom by county: seller pays in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, Kern, Sacramento and Santa Clara; buyer pays in Alameda and San Francisco (Old Republic Title chart, secondary).

Property tax for a new owner
Proposition 13: you're assessed at the purchase price, then at most 2% more a year. About 1.3% of the price a year is our planning figure for San Diego; your bill can differ.
Details

Prop 13: the sale resets the assessed value to the price; 1% base rate plus voter-approved debt (about 1.15–1.3% in the covered cities), then at most 2% growth a year. A supplemental bill follows closing; parcel taxes and Mello-Roos are extra.

Prop 13: the purchase price becomes the assessed value. City of San Diego tax rate area 08001 (the most common city rate), FY 2025-26: 1.25114%. Flat parcel taxes, direct assessments and Mello-Roos (common in newer subdivisions) are extra and not included.

Agent credits to the buyer
California allows an agent to credit part of their pay to the buyer, with the lender's approval.
Details

Legal when disclosed to the seller and the lender and paid through escrow (DRE Reference Book ch. 10).

Source: California DRE Reference Book, ch. 10 (Agency): rebates to the buyer must be disclosed (retrieved 2026-09-27)

Some of these facts rest on secondary sources (a law firm, title company or reference site, not the law or the form itself): C.A.R. RPA defaults: 17-day contingencies, deposit in 3 business days (secondary: Greiner Law); June 2026 C.A.R. form changes incl. RPA appraisal-gap option (secondary); Old Republic Title, Guide to California closing costs (who pays, by county; secondary); Old Republic Title, Guide to California closing costs: who pays, county and city transfer taxes (secondary).

Closing taxes

Closing taxes in San Diego, who customarily pays and the rate
TaxCustomarily paid byRate
San Diego County documentary transfer taxSeller0.11% of the priceOld Republic Title, Guide to California closing costs: who pays, county and city transfer taxes (secondary)

Programs and after you buy

Down-payment help
MyHome Assistance Program (California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA))A deferred-payment loan for the down payment or closing costs: up to 3.5% of the price or appraised value (whichever is less) with a CalHFA FHA loan, or 3% with a CalHFA conventional loan.Official page, checked 2026-09-28.California's housing finance agency runs it; the program decides who qualifies and for how much.
Down-payment help in San Diego
First-Time Homebuyer Programs (San Diego Housing Commission)Deferred-payment loans and homeownership grants for low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers.Official page, checked 2026-09-28.
Homestead exemption
Homeowners' Exemption (California State Board of Equalization)A $7,000 reduction in the taxable value of a home that was the owner's principal residence on January 1; file once with the county assessor (form BOE-266).Deadline: February 15, for the full exemption that yearOfficial page, checked 2026-09-28.
If you disagree with your assessment
Assessment Appeals (San Diego County Clerk of the Board of Supervisors)File an Assessment Appeal Application with the Clerk of the Board; you can also ask the Assessor's Office for a free informal review.When: July 2 through November 30 (regular filing season)Official page, checked 2026-09-28.
After you buy: alerts on your deed
Owner Alert (San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk)A free service that emails you right away when a document is recorded that may affect your property.Official page, checked 2026-09-28.
Sources (12)

Methodology

How we measure, and what it isn't

Past change, not a forecast. These figures describe the past from public data; they don't tell you where prices go next.

House prices by ZIP, and the rankings

FHFA's experimental ZIP house price index: houses with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans, from sales and refinance appraisals. Condos, co-ops and multi-unit buildings aren't in it. It's built from repeat sales and refinance appraisals of the same homes, not average sale prices, and FHFA publishes no margin of error for it. We rank ZIPs by the change over the last 3 years, only where FHFA published the index in every one of them, and only ZIPs with 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. A change smaller than 7% either way is “no clear change”: in our 50 cities, the index's own year-to-year swings suggest sampling alone can move a three-year change about that much. A ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another is left out as too jumpy. We show rises and falls, each year's change, and the city's and metro's figures for the same years. Past rankings are a weak guide: of the ZIPs in their city's top 3 for 2019–2022, 25 of 134 (about 1 in 5) were top 3 again for 2022–2025; chance alone would give about 21. Many ZIPs, especially dense ones, have no index.

City and metro price figures

City: the resident-weighted average of its ZIPs that have an index (the ZIP card says when that's only part of the city). Metro: FHFA's all-transactions index over the same calendar years, the ZIPs' method; the metro card also shows FHFA's purchase-only index for the latest quarter against a year and five years earlier. Where FHFA splits a metro into divisions (New York, Miami, Detroit and others), the division's index, named where it's shown. Jobs, permits and population always cover the whole metro.

Payment ÷ income

Monthly housing payment (est.) on a house at the ZIP's median value: 20% down · 30-year fixed at 7.03% (Freddie Mac average) · 360 monthly loan payments · APR not calculated (it depends on the lender's fees) · includes principal and interest, property tax, home insurance and any HOA dues, plus mortgage insurance below 20% down. Property tax uses San Diego's rule for a new buyer (about 1.3% of the price a year, our planning figure); insurance is a typical premium. Not included: upkeep, utilities, flood insurance, special assessments. Divided by a month of the ZIP's median household income. The Census reports values over $2 million and incomes over $250,000 only as “or more”, so those shares are bounds (“at least”, “at most”). Left out where 50% or more of owner-occupied homes are in buildings with 5+ units: their HOA dues or co-op charges aren't in the payment. It combines two estimates, so no margin is computed. 7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR.

Census figures and margins of error

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024: the median value owners report for their homes (it lags sale prices; co-op owners report the value of their shares), median rent with utilities, median household income, residents, and the property tax and monthly costs owners report. Each comes with its 90% margin of error (±). Figures whose margin is 20–49% of the estimate are marked “less reliable” and left out of rankings and tags; figures with wider margins aren't shown. A population change (from 2015–2019) is shown only when it passes the Census Bureau's 90% significance test; otherwise it says “no clear change”. San Diego's own figures come from the Census's estimates for the city itself where published; otherwise they blend its ZIPs (no margin computed). Lists leave out ZIPs with fewer than 1,000 residents.

Tags

Lower home values:
The median value owners report is in the lowest quarter of the city's ZIPs (Census ACS). Less reliable estimates and ZIPs where most owners live in condos or co-ops aren't compared.
Population grew:
Residents rose 5% or more between the two latest five-year Census surveys, by more than the margin of error.
Mostly condos or co-ops:
Half or more of owner-occupied homes are in buildings with 5 or more units. Values there leave out HOA dues and co-op charges, so they aren't ranked.
New rail nearby:
A rail station opened within about a mile in 2023–2026.

“New rail nearby” uses our dated news pins: a ZIP whose center is within 1,600 m of a station that opened, plus the ZIP the station sits in. No tag describes price momentum.

Hazards and flood insurance

FEMA's National Risk Index rates each county's expected yearly losses from each hazard against all U.S. counties; we show those Expected Annual Loss ratings for every county the city lies in, without FEMA's social-vulnerability adjustments. They describe counties, not homes. Flood insurance counts are policies and claims in the federal program (NFIP) only. Check an address's flood zone on FEMA's flood map.

What buyers borrowed and paid

Public HMDA loan records: home-purchase first liens on owner-occupied 1–4 unit homes in the city (the card names the area covered), with the number of loans behind each figure. Loans that closed, not offers or quotes.

Neutral by design

We describe prices, payments, population counts, construction and rail lines. We don't describe places by who lives there, schools or crime, and we don't call areas “up-and-coming”, “transitional” or “safe”. Choose where to live for your own reasons.

Sources and dates