Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median home value$1,646,800
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$2,886/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
San Diego 44%
Encinitas
San Diego County61,480 residents3 school districts
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
1st of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by cost of living.
72
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Encinitas yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 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 Encinitas is like to live in, by category
Bars show Encinitas against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 73/100
B
Within-state proficiency95th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio23.4
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate95%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Housing cost index127
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.56%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax7.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Mean commute24.7 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes68%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi7.0
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 85/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés113
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries14
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks68
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median household income$162,229
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment4.5%
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 Encinitas 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 Encinitas on cost of living
Encinitas's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Fallbrook22 mi from EncinitasA− 48 D+ El Cajon25 mi from EncinitasB+ 50 D+ Ramona22 mi from EncinitasB+ 50 D+ Vista10 mi from EncinitasB 55 C− Winter Gardens24 mi from EncinitasB 53 C− San Diego17 mi from EncinitasB 63 C+ Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Encinitas
Is Encinitas, CA a good place to live?
Encinitas scores 72 out of 100, 1st of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Encinitas expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $1,646,800, 93% above the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.56%. $2,886/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Encinitas?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Encinitas sit at the 95th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 23.4 student–teacher ratio. Encinitas is served by San Dieguito Union High, Encinitas Union Elementary and Cardiff Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Encinitas?
The mean commute is 24.7 min, with 68% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 33% working from home. Transit density is 7.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Encinitas?
Within two miles there are 14 groceries, 113 restaurants and cafés and 68 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Encinitas old or new?
The median home in Encinitas was built in 1980 — close to 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. 75% 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.