FREE Search for San Diego Apartments and Homes

The second-largest city in California, San Diego fits many people's image of the quintessential beach town, despite its large size. The beautiful beaches, ridiculously nice climate, gorgeous parks and other amenities make San Diego a great place to explore apartments for rent.

Quality of Life
San Diego has so much to offer residents that it's hard to name them all. Let's start with the fact that it's an easy city to navigate, a welcome change from nearby Los Angeles! Downtown San Diego is arranged on a compact grid that is especially easy to find your way around. Locals do their shopping at Horton Plaza, a massive shopping mall that has just about everything you want and need. Tourists and residents alike also enjoy historic Gaslamp Quarter and the Embarcadero, hip locales for shops, restaurants and nightlife. Nature and culture happily coexist in the vast expanse of Balboa Park, which contains the world-famous San Diego Zoo in addition to several museums and an art gallery. Families also love the Wild Animal Park and SeaWorld. Finally, we have to mention the beaches, where locals go for sun, surf and relaxation.

Where the Jobs Are
San Diego's excellent harbor has long made it a busy center for commercial transportation as well as U.S. Naval operations. Other major industries include electronics, aerospace, medical and scientific research, oceanography and agriculture. It will come as no surprise that tourism is a major industry; San Diego's beaches, climate, attractions and proximity to Mexico have made it one of the world's leading travel destinations. Consequently, tourism and its related services are significant sources of employment for the area.

Cost of Living & Apartment Prices
Living on the beach in Southern California doesn't come cheap. San Diego's overall cost of living is 36% above the national average, with housing costs, including apartment rentals, taking up a large chunk of residents' finances. The median price of apartments is $760, with the average price of all two-bedroom apartments for rent running at $1,200. The vacancy rate tends to be very low—less than 1% in recent studies—which means it can be difficult to find good apartments in your price range. We can offer you just one silver lining: Rent prices for apartments grow at a fairly slow rate in San Diego (much slower than nearby Los Angeles and Orange County), so at least if you do find a good place to live, you should still be able to afford it as the years go by.

Neighborhoods to Explore
The Hillcrest neighborhood near downtown San Diego offers urban living San Diego style. The neighborhood borders beautiful Balboa Park, offering numerous choices for culture and recreation. Looking for true beach living? Explore apartments for rent in Ocean Beach, with its village atmosphere and primo location right on the beach. If you'd rather live at a distance from the city, look for apartments in the upscale communities of La Jolla (pronounced "la hoya") and Spring Valley.Another good place to look for apartment rentals is near the city's universities, including the University of California at San Diego and California State University San Diego.