San Diego - CA vs Las Vegas - NV: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Diego - CA is roughly 119% more expensive than Las Vegas - NV in typical home value. Homes sit on market longer in Las Vegas - NV (38 days vs 25), suggesting more buyer leverage there.

San Diego vs Las Vegas: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $5,054 a month in principal and interest in San Diego and $2,304 in Las Vegas, a gap of $2,749 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,967 in San Diego and $1,732 in Las Vegas, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.7 times rent in San Diego and 1.3 times rent in Las Vegas, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 26.0 years of rent in San Diego and 20.3 in Las Vegas; the lower ratio in Las Vegas means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -1.8% in San Diego and -3.4% in Las Vegas; over just the last three months the change was +0.3% in San Diego and -0.8% in Las Vegas.

Homes sell for 99.3% of list price in San Diego and 98.1% in Las Vegas, after 25 and 38 days on the market, with price cuts on 29% and 30% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Las Vegas.

The number of homes for sale is down 6% on a year ago in San Diego and up 2% on a year ago in Las Vegas.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.