A More Affordable San Diego
After years of eye-watering prices and fierce competition, the region’s real estate landscape is showing signs of easing—opening the door to actual opportunity for people who thought homeownership in America’s West Coast gem was out of reach.
According to the latest Realtor.com market snapshot, San Diego saw a notable drop in the median listing price in December 2025, down roughly 7.7 % compared with last year and bringing prices closer to the $830,000 range. That’s a steeper decline than the national average and one of the more meaningful downturns among large U.S. metro markets.
Even better for buyers, the number of homes on the market in San Diego jumped significantly over the same period. Active listings climbed by nearly 18 % year-over-year, outpacing broader national inventory growth and giving buyers a broader palette of options to explore without constant bidding wars.
That extra selection wasn’t just “more homes” — it signaled a shift in local trends. While new listings have dipped modestly, much of the added supply reflects previously unsold homes lingering longer on the market, giving prospective buyers greater negotiating power and time to think through decisions.
Homes in San Diego still move relatively fast — the typical property spent about 54 days on the market in December, which is noticeably quicker than the national average. But the combination of rising inventory and falling list prices means that well-prepared buyers aren’t being forced into panic offers like they used to be.
Of course, San Diego isn’t becoming cheap overnight. Even with this price adjustment, it remains a high-cost housing market compared to most places in the U.S. But for buyers who felt priced out only a year ago, the recent trends represent a very real shift — one that turns negotiation and choice back in the homebuyer’s favor.
In simple terms: San Diego isn’t a bargain basement market yet, but the direction of prices and available homes is finally tilting toward affordability and opportunity — something many hopeful buyers haven’t seen in years.
