San Diego, CA Commercial Real Estate Market Trends & Data

What Are Current Commercial Real Estate Benchmarks in San Diego?

San Diego commercial properties are averaging $664 per square foot to buy and $600 per square foot to lease, with cap rates near 5.11% across asset types. The data below covers sale prices, lease rates, cap rates, and building sizes by property type to support early-stage market evaluation.

Explore Commercial Properties in San Diego

Browse properties currently for sale or lease to see how local market pricing and building sizes translate into real opportunities.

 

San Diego's Demographic Profile

San Diego has 521,248 households and a median income of $95,644, providing context for rent absorption and tenant demand across retail and multifamily assets. A 0% five-year population trend is a key signal for evaluating long-term demand in this market.

Key Demographic Metrics Value
Population 1,392,285
# Households 521,248
Median age 38
Median household income $95,644
Avg household size 3
Renter-occupied housing units 284,713
5-year population change 0%

Commercial Real Estate Market Snapshot in San Diego

Use the benchmarks below to set initial underwriting baselines for San Diego, typical deal size, entry costs, and cap rate ranges by asset type before evaluating individual listings.

Key Market Metrics Value
Avg asking sale price $664 per SF
Avg asking lease rate $600 per SF
Avg unit size for lease 17,963 SF
Avg building size for sale 14,875 SF
Average cap rate 5.11%

The 5.11% average cap rate reflects current return expectations relative to San Diego pricing and deal scale. Use this alongside asking prices and lease rates to establish initial underwriting assumptions.

 

Commercial Properties For Sale In San Diego

The listings below reflect how current market pricing and building scale translate into active opportunities available today.
For Sale

The Collective

San Diego, CA 92121

  • 17,101 SF Office Building
  • $487,500 - $3,668,125
For Sale

Nine2Five

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 64,172 SF Office Building
  • $13,500,000
For Sale

6172-6196 University Ave

San Diego, CA 92115

  • 20,934 SF Retail Building
  • 7.25% Cap Rate
  • $6,000,000
For Sale

3854 50th St

San Diego, CA 92105

  • 5,696 SF Multifamily
  • 6.10% Cap Rate
  • $2,250,000
For Sale

4650 Overland Ave

San Diego, CA 92123

  • 56,159 SF Flex Building
  • $23,500,000
For Sale

8057 Raytheon Rd

San Diego, CA 92111

  • 15,594 SF Industrial Building
  • $980,000
For Sale

RB Medical Plaza

San Diego, CA 92128

  • 75,598 SF Office Building
  • 6.00% Cap Rate
  • $493,750 - $4,973,750
For Sale

Harbor View Professional Plaza

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 33,168 SF Office Building
  • $477,500 - $987,000

 

Commercial Market Metrics by Property Type

Office Building Market Metrics Near San Diego

Office market metrics highlight how pricing, typical deal size, and return expectations vary across submarkets, helping investors compare entry costs and yield potential efficiently.

Nearby Office Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size Cap Max
San Diego $576 9,838 SF 10.11%
La Mesa $403 10,718 SF 6.50%
La Jolla $508 13,822 SF 6.47%
Chula Vista $855 7,238 SF 6.63%

Industrial Property Market Metrics Near San Diego

Industrial market data shows how cost per square foot and typical building size differ by submarket, supporting comparisons around deal scale and pricing alignment.

Nearby Industrial Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size Cap Max
San Diego $414 29,415 SF 7.25%
El Cajon $507 5,526 SF 5.07%
Chula Vista $366 28,597 SF 5.53%

 

Retail Property Market Metrics Near San Diego

Retail pricing varies widely across nearby markets, making this comparison useful for identifying where cost per square foot and deal size diverge most.

Nearby Retail Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size
San Diego $849 9,253 SF
La Mesa $781 11,199 SF
Lemon Grove $404 19,485 SF
Spring Valley $560 12,451 SF
Chula Vista $759 10,123 SF

Multifamily Property Market Metrics Near San Diego

Multifamily metrics show how pricing and building size relate to observed cap rate ranges, helping investors evaluate income potential relative to entry cost.

Nearby Multifamily Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size Cap Max
San Diego $658 11,645 SF 16.41%
La Mesa $484 16,107 SF 5.61%
Lemon Grove $430 6,686 SF 5.61%
Spring Valley $403 17,886 SF 6.03%
El Cajon $474 17,337 SF 5.59%

 

How Investors Evaluate Commercial Real Estate Markets in San Diego

Use these tools to move from market-level signals to deal-level math. Each calculator helps translate San Diego pricing, rents, and building size into concrete metrics like value, income, and space requirements, so you can validate assumptions before spending time on individual listings.

 

Nearby Commercial Markets

Comparing nearby markets helps investors see whether San Diego pricing and building scale sit above, below, or in line with surrounding areas.

Commercial Markets Avg Cost/SF Average Size
San Diego $664 14,875 SF
Santee $625 17,489 SF
La Mesa $689 13,171 SF
Lemon Grove $861 19,916 SF
Spring Valley $750 9,567 SF

Multifamily For Sale In San Diego

Multifamily listings shown here connect market pricing and cap rate patterns with income-producing opportunities currently available.
For Sale

Nok Nok North Park

San Diego, CA 92104

  • 15,098 SF Multifamily
  • $10,900,000
For Sale

Finestra Lofts

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 15,810 SF Multifamily
  • 4.06% Cap Rate
  • $5,500,000
For Sale

Trolley Lofts

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 50,000 SF Multifamily
  • 6.42% Cap Rate
  • $11,750,000
For Sale

Park Terrace

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 536,223 SF Multifamily
  • 6.96% Cap Rate
  • $13,500,000
For Sale

Niima

San Diego, CA 92104

  • 34,391 SF Multifamily
  • 4.87% Cap Rate
  • $25,995,000
For Sale

Bridgeview Lofts

San Diego, CA 92113

  • 20,960 SF Multifamily
  • $869,900
For Sale

Il Palazzo

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 110,000 SF Multifamily
  • 7.29% Cap Rate
  • $4,250,000
For Sale

Street-level Suite at the Corner of G & 9th

San Diego, CA 92101

  • 109,320 SF Multifamily
  • $1,099,900

Regional Demographic Comparison

This comparison places San Diego alongside nearby cities to show how population size, household counts, and income levels differ across the region. Viewing these markets side by side helps investors understand whether local demand and income characteristics are concentrated in San Diego or distributed across surrounding areas.

City Population # Households Age MedianHouseholdIncome AvgHouseholdSize RenterOccupiedHousingUnits FiveYrPopGrowthPct
Santee 56,670 19,983 40 $100,563 3 6,253 -2%
La Mesa 60,318 24,551 40 $80,362 2 13,672 -1%
Lemon Grove 26,579 8,513 39 $75,661 3 3,940 -2%
Spring Valley 30,010 9,667 38 $91,153 3 3,810 -1%

FAQs About Commercial Investing in San Diego

View All Commercial Real Estate For Sale in San Diego
Is San Diego a good market for a first-time commercial real estate investor?

San Diego offers commercial properties across a wide range of sizes and price points. By reviewing the market data and benchmarks on this page, first-time investors can better understand what a typical commercial property looks like before committing capital and narrowing in on specific listings.

How can this market data help me decide whether to buy commercial property for my business in San Diego?

The pricing and size metrics on this page help business owners compare the cost of ownership against leasing in San Diego. Typical building sizes and asking prices provide a starting point for evaluating space needs, budget fit, and long term occupancy costs before engaging lenders or brokers.

What should conservative investors focus on when evaluating commercial properties in San Diego?

Conservative investors often prioritize manageable deal sizes, stable pricing ranges, and cap rate benchmarks shown for San Diego. These metrics help assess whether current market conditions support steady income potential without relying on aggressive assumptions.

How does San Diego compare to nearby commercial real estate markets?

Nearby market comparisons highlight differences in pricing, building scale, and cap rate ranges relative to San Diego. Reviewing these side by side helps experienced investors identify relative value, pricing premiums, or alternative markets that may better align with return targets.

How can this page support early-stage deal screening for San Diego acquisitions?

This page provides high-level benchmarks for pricing, deal size, and observed cap rates in San Diego, which are useful for initial market filtering. Institutional and data-driven investors often use these signals to prioritize listings that meet size, pricing, and return thresholds before deeper underwriting.