Living here
Cost of living in La Mesa
Housing is much more expensive than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,958/mo
45% above US
Median home value
$738,800
144% above US
Median household income
$84,337
7% above US
Rent as share of income
28%
US 21%
Home price to income
8.8×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
8.5%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How La Mesa compares
- La Mesa$1,958
- California$1,956
- United States$1,348
- Lemon Grove$1,769
- El Cajon$1,790
- San Diego$2,223
- Coronado$3,250
- Imperial Beach$1,914
- Solana Beach$3,022
- Carlsbad$2,678
- Fallbrook$1,675
- La Mesa$738,800
- California$695,400
- United States$303,400
- Lemon Grove$640,600
- El Cajon$632,800
- San Diego$848,500
- Coronado$1,998,900
- Imperial Beach$811,000
- Solana Beach$1,934,700
- Carlsbad$1,156,900
- Fallbrook$713,000
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in La Mesa
Questions
Is La Mesa expensive to live in?
Housing in La Mesa is much more expensive than the national average: median rent is $1,958 (45% above US) and the median home value is $738,800 (144% above US).
How much is rent in La Mesa?
The median gross rent is $1,958 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $2,192, 1 bedroom $2,335, 2 bedrooms $2,823, 3 bedrooms $3,743, 4 bedrooms $4,526.
How much of their income do renters spend in La Mesa?
At the median, a year’s rent ($23,496) equals about 28% of the median household income ($84,337); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in La Mesa?
Sales tax is 8.5% and property taxes run about 0.67% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; CDTFA California City & County Sales & Use Tax Rates.