San Diego - CA vs St. Louis - MO: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Diego - CA is roughly 239% more expensive than St. Louis - MO in typical home value. Homes sit on market longer in San Diego - CA (25 days vs 11), suggesting more buyer leverage there.

San Diego vs St. Louis: what the numbers say

At today's 7.40% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $5,134 a month in principal and interest in San Diego and $1,513 in St. Louis, a gap of $3,621 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,967 in San Diego and $1,427 in St. Louis, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.7 times rent in San Diego and 1.1 times rent in St. Louis, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 26.0 years of rent in San Diego and 16.0 in St. Louis; the lower ratio in St. Louis means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -1.8% in San Diego and +5.4% in St. Louis; over just the last three months the change was +0.3% in San Diego and +0.9% in St. Louis.

Homes sell for 99.3% of list price in San Diego and 100.1% in St. Louis, after 25 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 29% and 29% of listings. The signs are mixed: San Diego has longer time on the market and sales further below list, while St. Louis has more price cuts.

The number of homes for sale is down 6% on a year ago in San Diego and up 9% on a year ago in St. Louis.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-15), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.