Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Median home value$1,257,000
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$2,808/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households40%
San Diego 44%
Carlsbad
San Diego County114,373 residents4 school districts
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
65
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Carlsbad yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Carlsbad is like to live in, by category
Bars show Carlsbad against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Within-state proficiency93rd pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio23.5
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate93%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Housing cost index120
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.60%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax7.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute27.1 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes61%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi4.1
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés75
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks67
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 60/100
C
Median household income$142,748
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment5.5%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations61%
San Diego 48%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Carlsbad yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Carlsbad on housing & affordability
Carlsbad's weakest grade is C. Two suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Carlsbad
Is Carlsbad, CA a good place to live?
Carlsbad scores 65 out of 100, 3rd of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Carlsbad expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,257,000, 47% above the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.60%. $2,808/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Carlsbad?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Carlsbad sit at the 93rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 23.5 student–teacher ratio. Carlsbad is served by Carlsbad Unified, San Dieguito Union High School District, Encinitas Union Elementary School District and San Marcos Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Carlsbad?
The mean commute is 27.1 min, with 61% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 32% working from home. Transit density is 4.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Carlsbad?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 75 restaurants and cafés and 67 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Carlsbad old or new?
The median home in Carlsbad was built in 1989 — newer than the San Diego median of 1980. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 68% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.