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STR Market Report
California • Short-Term Rental Market
40%
Entire-home, active listings
Occupancy Rate
~12 nights booked per month on average
$189
Median, entire-home
Avg Nightly Rate
Typical price per night charged by whole-home hosts in this market
8,375
Had a review in past 12 mo
Active Listings
Whole-home Airbnbs with at least 1 recent guest review — active supply
$2,268
~12 booked nights / month
Est. Monthly Revenue
Directional gross booking revenue estimate before fees, expenses, and seasonality shifts
Licensed
Permit required — manageable for most operators with proper compliance
Regulatory Risk
Higher-risk setup due to weaker demand, pricing constraints, or regulation. Underwrite conservatively.
2 nights
Typical host minimum
Median Min Stay
Most common minimum booking length. Short = weekenders welcome. Long (7+ nights) = weekly guests only.
43%
Hosts with 5+ listings
Pro Host Rate
Significant investor presence — you'll compete with experienced multi-property operators
1.8/mo
Median reviews per month
Booking Velocity
How quickly typical listings earn new reviews — a proxy for how often properties get booked. Higher = stronger demand.
86%
Have a permit on file
Licensed Listings
High compliance rate — regulations are actively enforced here. Budget for permitting before listing.
Strong demand across all seasons — minimal seasonal revenue volatility
San Diego, California is one of the most desirable STR destinations in California, combining year-round perfect weather, world-class beaches, Comic-Con, the US Navy, and a thriving biotech/pharma corporate sector. The city has implemented tiered STR licensing (Tier 1 for primary residences, Tier 2 for secondary with lottery-based issuance), which has significantly constrained supply in core beach neighborhoods. Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach are the highest-demand sub-markets, where compliant operators achieve among the highest ADR in California outside of San Francisco. Properties with beach or bay views command 30-50% premiums.
Premium Pricing Pocket
Old Town
Avg nightly rate: $3,559
Highest Occupancy Pocket
Old Town
Avg occupancy: 50.8%
Best Balanced Opportunity
Old Town
Healthy mix of demand, pricing, and listing depth
Ranked by active listing count (Inside Airbnb data).
Markets in Americas with similar investment-score profiles:
Takeaway: entire home apt dominates this market snapshot.
Takeaway: the highest concentration of listings sits in the $101–150 nightly range.
Takeaway: most listings cluster around 0–10% occupancy.
Peak month in this snapshot: Sep (52.6% occupancy).
| Neighbourhood | Listings ↓ | Avg Price | Occupancy | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Bay | 1,886 | $574 | 36.7% | — |
| Pacific Beach | 1,060 | $853 | 40% | — |
| La Jolla | 1,017 | $1,402 | 39.1% | — |
| Ocean Beach | 608 | $231 | 36.8% | — |
| North Hills | 554 | $164 | 42.1% | — |
| East Village | 552 | $750 | 39.5% | — |
| Midtown | 550 | $224 | 40.4% | — |
| Loma Portal | 367 | $220 | 41.9% | — |
| Gaslamp Quarter | 318 | $763 | 35.6% | — |
| Park West | 289 | $181 | 33.6% | — |
| Little Italy | 246 | $2,380 | 33% | — |
| Balboa Park | 243 | $197 | 45.1% | — |
| Old Town | 241 | $3,559 | 50.8% | — |
| Bay Park | 221 | $267 | 44.4% | — |
| Mira Mesa | 207 | $156 | 40.2% | — |
Source: Inside Airbnb. Click column headers to sort.
Analytics derived from Inside Airbnb public datasets. Data reflects the snapshot date above. Not financial advice.
Want verified, real-time data?
Our estimates are a starting point — these tools give you neighborhood-level occupancy, revenue projections, and comp analysis from live Airbnb data.
Real-time occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR by neighborhood. The industry standard for STR market research.
View San Diego data on AirDNA →Combines Airbnb data with traditional rental comps. Great for comparing STR vs long-term rental ROI.
Try Mashvisor →Affiliate disclosure: STR Specialist may earn a commission if you subscribe via these links. We only recommend tools we trust.
Score formula: Occupancy (max 45 pts) + ADR (max 30 pts) + Regulatory environment (up to 25 pts). Max score: 100.
Moderate market — San Diego has decent fundamentals but some limitations. Worth investigating further before committing capital.
Get personalized advice on market entry, property selection, and STR strategy from an experienced STR host.