Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 22/100
F
Median home value$612,200
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$1,692/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households51%
San Diego 44%
National City
San Diego County58,893 residents2 school districts
52
D+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strong on cost of living and amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
52
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for National City yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 52 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 National City is like to live in, by category
Bars show National City against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 43/100
D
Within-state proficiency46th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio23.5
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate86%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 88/100
A
Housing cost index76
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.52%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax8.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 58/100
C
Mean commute25.4 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes66%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi12
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 80/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés76
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries19
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks42
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 33/100
F
Median household income$66,841
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment6.6%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations22%
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 National City 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 National City on housing & affordability
National City's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Solana Beach24 mi from National CityB− 70 B− Coronado3 mi from National CityC+ 63 C+ Poway23 mi from National CityC− 59 C Bonita5 mi from National CityC− 59 C Casa de Oro-Mount Helix10 mi from National CityD+ 57 C− Rancho San Diego12 mi from National CityD+ 49 D+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in National City
Is National City, CA a good place to live?
National City scores 52 out of 100, 18th of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is National City expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A. The median home is $612,200, 28% below the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.52%. $1,692/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in National City?
Schools grade D. The districts serving National City sit at the 46th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 23.5 student–teacher ratio. National City is served by Sweetwater Union High and National Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from National City?
The mean commute is 25.4 min, with 66% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.5% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in National City?
Within two miles there are 19 groceries, 76 restaurants and cafés and 42 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in National City old or new?
The median home in National City was built in 1969 — 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. 49% 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.