Rents Jump Throughout San Diego County In 2021 As Vista, Escondido Set Pace In Region

By Editor, Times of San Diego

February 3, 2022

Rents again rose in January in San Diego, continuing the steep upward trend for residential units, according to a new report.

Researchers at ApartmentList.com said prices have risen nearly 19% since last year, outpacing increases in the state overall, at 17.8%.

The year began with a 0.4% increase in January, according to the data, with median rents in San Diego at $1,855 for one-bedroom apartments and $2,459 for two-bedrooms.

Rents rose even more starkly in other parts of the county though, with multiple cities seeing prices jump by more than 20%, including:

As far month-to-month increases in January, Vista, Carlsbad, La Mesa and Chula Vista saw bigger jumps in prices than San Diego, with Vista logging a 1.8% uptick. Only Oceanside dropped, by 0.7%.

Comparing local median two-bedroom prices to the state’s most expensive city, San Francisco rents stand at $2,681.

Nationally, rent for two-bedroom apartments is only $1,285 – slightly more than half of the city of San Diego median.

In other big cities, annual rent growth exceeded 25%, including Phoenix, where prices rose by 27.9%. Oakland saw the slowest growth in California, at 0.5%.

According to ApartmentList.com, apartment owners reversed 2020 losses due to the pandemic, with gains throughout 2021, as prices rose steadily during the year, most sharply in July.

Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.