Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 28/100
F
Median home value$681,700
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$1,856/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households55%
San Diego 44%
El Cajon
San Diego County104,449 residents3 school districts
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
23rd of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strong on cost of living and amenities, held back by employment & income.
50
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for El Cajon yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 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 El Cajon is like to live in, by category
Bars show El Cajon against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Within-state proficiency46th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio23.7
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate83%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 81/100
B+
Housing cost index84
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.69%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax8.25%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Mean commute24.8 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes65%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi7.9
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés119
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries19
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks23
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 20/100
F
Median household income$67,511
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment9.6%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations31%
San Diego 48%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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 El Cajon yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than El Cajon on employment & income
El Cajon's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Encinitas25 mi from El CajonB− 72 B− Solana Beach22 mi from El CajonC+ 70 B− San Diego Country Estates18 mi from El CajonC+ 45 D Poway13 mi from El CajonC 59 C Coronado15 mi from El CajonC 63 C+ Santee4 mi from El CajonC− 58 C Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in El Cajon
Is El Cajon, CA a good place to live?
El Cajon scores 50 out of 100, 23rd of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is El Cajon expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $681,700, 20% below the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.69%. $1,856/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in El Cajon?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving El Cajon sit at the 46th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 83% graduation rate and a 23.7 student–teacher ratio. El Cajon is served by Grossmont Union High, Cajon Valley Union and La Mesa-Spring Valley. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from El Cajon?
The mean commute is 24.8 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 7.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in El Cajon?
Within two miles there are 19 groceries, 119 restaurants and cafés and 23 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in El Cajon old or new?
The median home in El Cajon was built in 1974 — older 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. 46% 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.