SAN DIEGO RENTAL MARKET · CRESTMONT REALTY
Downtown San Diego rents in 2026: apartments, condos, and townhomes
Current downtown medians by unit type and bedroom count, the one-bedroom surge, and why pricing precision matters more here than anywhere else in the county.
Data as of August 2026 · updated monthly · current numbers always at rentalmarkets.crestmontrealty.com
01 · AN APARTMENT AND CONDO MARKET
Downtown rents by unit type
| Segment | Median rent | vs. last year |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom apartments | $2,772 | +5.0% |
| 2-bedroom apartments | $3,698 | +4.7% |
| 3-bedroom apartments | $4,416 | +3.6% |
| 1-bedroom condos / townhomes | $2,772 | +1.9% |
| 2-bedroom condos / townhomes | $3,601 | +2.0% |
| 3-bedroom condos / townhomes | $4,379 | +1.2% |
TABLE 1 · DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO MEDIAN ASKING RENTS AND YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE, AUGUST 2026 · SOURCE: CRESTMONT REALTY RENTAL MARKET DATA
Downtown is an apartment and condo market. Active single-family listings downtown are effectively zero, so if you own here you own a unit, and the unit-type numbers above are the ones that price it. Inventory is deep on the apartment side, with 730 active 1-bedroom and 522 active 2-bedroom listings as of August 2026, which means pricing precision matters more downtown than in thin-inventory neighborhoods where a mispriced home still leases on scarcity.
02 · WHICH WAY IT IS MOVING
Apartments are outrunning condos
1-bedroom apartments are up 5.0% year over year as of August 2026, the fastest-moving downtown segment and well ahead of the countywide 1-bedroom apartment figure of 1.4%. Two- and three-bedroom apartments follow closely at 4.7% and 3.6%. Condo and townhome product is rising more slowly across every bedroom count, between 1.2% and 2.0%, so two owners on the same block can be having quite different years depending on what kind of unit they hold.
Vacancy sits at 3.48% with units leasing in about 28 days. Downtown also carries the highest listing saturation of the neighborhoods we track, which is the structural reason pricing precision matters here. The full downtown picture, every bedroom count and monthly trend, lives on Downtown's data page.
03 · QUICK ANSWERS
Quick answers
What is the average rent for an apartment in Downtown San Diego in 2026?
$2,772 for a 1-bedroom and $3,698 for a 2-bedroom as of August 2026. One-bedrooms are the fastest-moving downtown segment, up 5.0% year over year.
What is the average rent for a townhouse or condo in Downtown San Diego in 2026?
$3,601 for a 2-bedroom condo or townhome as of August 2026, up 2.0% year over year. Condo and townhome product is rising more slowly than apartments across every bedroom count.
Are Downtown San Diego rents going up in 2026?
Yes, across every segment as of August 2026. Apartments lead, with 1-bedrooms up 5.0% and 2-bedrooms up 4.7%, while condos and townhomes are up between 1.2% and 2.0%.
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See your neighborhood's reportRENT DATA: CRESTMONT REALTY SAN DIEGO RENTAL MARKET DATA · AUGUST 2026 · UPDATED MONTHLY.