Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$3,212/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households45%
San Diego 44%
Solana Beach
San Diego County12,823 residents2 school districts
70
B−
Suburbgrade score
2nd of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by amenities.
70
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Solana Beach yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 70 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 Solana Beach is like to live in, by category
Bars show Solana Beach against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency97th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio24.2
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate95%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index131
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.54%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax8.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 84/100
A−
Mean commute21.0 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes73%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi2.9
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés50
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks28
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 67/100
C+
Median household income$152,167
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment3.5%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations66%
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 Solana Beach 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 Solana Beach on cost of living
Solana Beach's weakest grade is C+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
National City24 mi from Solana BeachA 52 D+ La Presa24 mi from Solana BeachA− 52 D+ El Cajon22 mi from Solana BeachB+ 50 D+ Ramona22 mi from Solana BeachB+ 50 D+ Lemon Grove22 mi from Solana BeachB+ 51 D+ Vista14 mi from Solana BeachB 55 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 Solana Beach
Is Solana Beach, CA a good place to live?
Solana Beach scores 70 out of 100, 2nd of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Solana Beach expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $2,000,000+, 134% above the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.54%. $3,212/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Solana Beach?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Solana Beach sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 24.2 student–teacher ratio. Solana Beach is served by San Dieguito Union High and Solana Beach Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Solana Beach?
The mean commute is 21.0 min, with 73% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 2.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Solana Beach?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 50 restaurants and cafés and 28 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Solana Beach old or new?
The median home in Solana Beach was built in 1976 — 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. 66% 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.