Living here
Cost of living in Carlsbad
Housing is much more expensive than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$2,678/mo
99% above US
Median home value
$1,156,900
281% above US
Median household income
$139,326
77% above US
Rent as share of income
23%
US 21%
Home price to income
8.3×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
7.75%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Carlsbad compares
- Carlsbad$2,678
- California$1,956
- United States$1,348
- Solana Beach$3,022
- Fallbrook$1,675
- San Diego$2,223
- Temecula$2,297
- La Mesa$1,958
- El Cajon$1,790
- Lemon Grove$1,769
- Coronado$3,250
- Carlsbad$1,156,900
- California$695,400
- United States$303,400
- Solana Beach$1,934,700
- Fallbrook$713,000
- San Diego$848,500
- Temecula$640,400
- La Mesa$738,800
- El Cajon$632,800
- Lemon Grove$640,600
- Coronado$1,998,900
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in Carlsbad
Questions
Is Carlsbad expensive to live in?
Housing in Carlsbad is much more expensive than the national average: median rent is $2,678 (99% above US) and the median home value is $1,156,900 (281% above US).
How much is rent in Carlsbad?
The median gross rent is $2,678 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $2,192, 1 bedroom $2,335, 2 bedrooms $2,823, 3 bedrooms $3,743, 4 bedrooms $4,526.
How much of their income do renters spend in Carlsbad?
At the median, a year’s rent ($32,136) equals about 23% of the median household income ($139,326); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Carlsbad?
Sales tax is 7.75% and property taxes run about 0.68% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; CDTFA California City & County Sales & Use Tax Rates.