Seattle - WA vs San Diego - CA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Diego - CA is roughly 29% more expensive than Seattle - WA in typical home value. Seattle - WA sees more listings with price cuts (34.2% vs 28.8%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Seattle vs San Diego: what the numbers say

At today's 7.32% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,958 a month in principal and interest in Seattle and $5,094 in San Diego, a gap of $1,137 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,250 in Seattle and $2,967 in San Diego, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in Seattle and 1.7 times rent in San Diego, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 26.7 years of rent in Seattle and 26.0 in San Diego; the lower ratio in San Diego means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -2.9% in Seattle and -1.8% in San Diego; over just the last three months the change was -0.3% in Seattle and +0.3% in San Diego.

Homes sell for 99.3% of list price in Seattle and 99.3% in San Diego, after 27 and 25 days on the market, with price cuts on 34% and 29% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Seattle.

The number of homes for sale is up 20% on a year ago in Seattle and down 6% on a year ago in San Diego.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-22), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.