Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 37/100
F
Median home value$762,400
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$2,249/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households45%
San Diego 44%
Vista
San Diego County99,114 residents2 school districts
55
C−
Suburbgrade score
12th of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
55
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Vista yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 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 Vista is like to live in, by category
Bars show Vista against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency55th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio21.0
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate87%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index95
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.70%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax8.25%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Mean commute26.7 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes59%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi6.3
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés67
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks21
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 44/100
D
Median household income$94,975
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment6.6%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations34%
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 Vista 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 Vista on housing & affordability
Vista's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Solana Beach14 mi from VistaB− 70 B− Encinitas10 mi from VistaB− 72 B− Carlsbad5 mi from VistaC 65 C+ Poway19 mi from VistaC− 59 C Valley Center13 mi from VistaD 40 D− San Marcos6 mi from VistaD 61 C Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Vista
Is Vista, CA a good place to live?
Vista scores 55 out of 100, 12th 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 Vista expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $762,400, 11% below the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.70%. $2,249/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Vista?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Vista sit at the 55th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 21.0 student–teacher ratio. Vista is served by Vista Unified and San Marcos Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Vista?
The mean commute is 26.7 min, with 59% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 6.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Vista?
Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 67 restaurants and cafés and 21 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Vista old or new?
The median home in Vista was built in 1985 — 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. 58% 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.
Six San Diego lists
Best San Diego suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Diego suburbsBest San Diego suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San DiegoMost walkable San Diego suburbsBest San Diego suburbs for young professionals