Where are People moving to From San Diego?
Where Our Clients Are Moving To and From San Diego
San Diego is a great place to live, but it is also a relatively expensive city. For many people, a move is about more than just the cost of housing. Some are looking for a larger home, a different climate, better job opportunities, access to a particular industry, or simply a different lifestyle.
The numbers below are a snapshot of the housing market in September 2026. Home prices are based on recent median sale prices, while rent figures are Zillow's average asking rents for all property types.
San Diego — Starting Point
Median home sale price: about $980,000
Average rent: about $3,100/month
San Diego attracts people with its beaches, outdoor lifestyle, weather and strong employment base in life sciences, biotechnology, defense, healthcare and technology. The city also has approximately 50 miles of coastline and a large tourism industry.
Moving From San Diego to Nashville, Tennessee
Median home sale price: about $465,000
Average rent: about $2,200/month
Why people are moving to Nashville
One of the biggest attractions for someone leaving San Diego is housing. The typical Nashville home sale price is less than half of San Diego's current median sale price, and average rent is also lower.
Nashville is also much more than country music. It has a large healthcare industry, along with technology, entertainment, advanced manufacturing, corporate operations and logistics. The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce identifies healthcare as one of the region's largest industries, with more than 900 healthcare companies in Middle Tennessee.
Things to do
Nashville offers live music, restaurants, professional sports, museums, parks and outdoor activities. Popular attractions include Broadway, the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Centennial Park.
For someone coming from San Diego, Nashville can offer a lower-cost housing market while still providing a major-city entertainment and employment environment.
Moving From San Diego to Orlando or Tampa Bay, Florida
Orlando
Median home sale price: about $387,000
Average rent: about $1,900/month
Tampa
Median home sale price: about $406,000
Average rent: about $2,000/month
Why people are moving to Florida
Orlando and Tampa Bay attract people who want warm weather, outdoor activities and lower housing costs than San Diego.
Orlando is famous for Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and its huge tourism industry, but it also has growing opportunities in healthcare, life sciences, technology, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, aviation and biotechnology. Orlando Economic Development lists life sciences and healthcare, aerospace and defense, technology, semiconductors and biotechnology among its key sectors.
Tampa Bay offers beaches, boating, professional sports, restaurants and a growing business community. Its major employment sectors include financial and professional services, information technology, life sciences and healthcare, defense, manufacturing, logistics and corporate headquarters.
Things to do
Orlando is an obvious choice for theme parks, entertainment and family activities. Tampa Bay offers a different lifestyle, with beaches, waterfront activities, sports, restaurants and access to the Gulf Coast.
Moving From San Diego to Dallas, Texas
Median home sale price: about $469,000
Average rent: about $1,950/month
Why people are moving to Dallas
Dallas is attractive to people looking for a large metropolitan job market and more housing options for their money.
The Dallas economy includes healthcare and life sciences, telecommunications and IT, business services, corporate headquarters, logistics, advanced manufacturing and other industries.
Things to do
Dallas has professional sports, restaurants, shopping, museums, parks, nightlife and a large arts district. Popular attractions include Reunion Tower, the Perot Museum, the Dallas Arboretum and the Dallas Arts District.
For a San Diego resident, Dallas is a major change in climate and geography, but it offers a large city, a strong job market and considerably lower average housing costs.
Moving From San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area
The Bay Area is different from the other destinations on this list because people often move there for career opportunities rather than lower living costs.
Housing
San Francisco median home sale price: about $1.60 million
San Francisco average rent: about $4,900/month
San Jose median home sale price: about $1.35 million
San Jose average rent: about $3,300/month
The Bay Area is not generally cheaper than San Diego. However, the region includes many different housing markets, and some locations can be less expensive than particular San Diego neighborhoods or homes. San Francisco and San Jose, however, are currently substantially more expensive on average.
Why people are moving there
One major attraction is employment, particularly in biotechnology, life sciences, technology and research.
The Bay Area has more than 147,000 life-sciences workers, including more than 42,000 in research and development. It also has major research institutions and companies throughout San Francisco, the Peninsula and Silicon Valley.
CBRE's 2026 life-sciences talent research places the San Francisco Bay Area among the country's leading markets for life-sciences talent.
Things to do
The Bay Area offers San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, museums, restaurants, beaches, hiking, wine country, Marin County, Oakland, Berkeley and Silicon Valley.
Moving From New York City to San Diego
New York City median home sale price: about $818,000
Average rent: about $3,638/month
Why people move to San Diego
For many New York residents, San Diego offers a very different lifestyle: sunshine, beaches, outdoor activities and more space.
Housing is still expensive in San Diego, but the type of housing and lifestyle can be very different from New York City. A person moving from Manhattan to San Diego may also be able to trade an apartment-focused lifestyle for a home, condo or larger living space depending on their budget and neighborhood.
Things to do
San Diego offers beaches, hiking, boating, surfing, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, restaurants, professional sports and year-round outdoor recreation.
Jobs
San Diego has major employment opportunities in healthcare, biotechnology, life sciences, defense, technology, tourism and professional services.
New York City itself remains one of the country's major centers for finance, healthcare, technology, media, life sciences and professional services, so some movers are trading one large employment market for another.
Moving From Ohio to San Diego
Ohio statewide median home sale price: about $249,000
Average rent: about $1,340/month
Why people move to San Diego
For many people coming from Ohio, the weather is one of the biggest attractions.
San Diego's mild climate allows people to spend much more of the year outside, whether that means going to the beach, hiking, surfing, golfing or simply enjoying the outdoors.
Jobs
San Diego also offers opportunities that can be particularly attractive to people in biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, defense and technology. The city describes life sciences, genomics, biotechnology, telecommunications and software as major parts of its innovation economy.
The major trade-off is housing. A person moving from Ohio to San Diego should expect a substantial increase in housing costs.
Moving From Chicago to San Diego
Chicago median home sale price: about $397,000
Average rent: about $2,050/month
Why people move to San Diego
Weather is a major attraction. Someone leaving Chicago's cold winters may be looking for a warmer climate and significantly more outdoor opportunities.
San Diego also provides beaches, hiking, boating, surfing, golf, parks and outdoor recreation alongside a major city job market.
Jobs
San Diego's major industries include life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare, defense, technology, tourism and professional services.
Chicago itself has a diverse economy and major opportunities in finance, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, technology and professional services, so job-related moves can go in either direction. Chicago also offers museums, architecture, restaurants, sports and a major lakefront.
Moving From Washington, DC to San Diego
Washington, DC median home sale price: about $681,000
Average rent: about $2,500/month
Why people move to San Diego
For some DC residents, San Diego combines a major employment market with a warmer climate and access to beaches and outdoor recreation.
The housing numbers are relatively close compared with some of the other locations on this list, so the decision is often more about lifestyle, career and location than simply finding a dramatically cheaper home.
Jobs
Washington, DC has a strong concentration of government, professional services, healthcare, technology and life-sciences employment. San Diego offers a different mix, with particularly strong connections to defense, military, healthcare, biotechnology, life sciences and technology.
DC also offers museums, monuments, historic sites, restaurants, theaters and cultural attractions, while San Diego offers beaches, outdoor recreation and a coastal lifestyle.
Quick Housing Comparison
LocationMedian Home Sale PriceAverage RentSan Diego$980K$3,100Nashville$465K$2,200Orlando$387K$1,900Tampa$406K$2,000Dallas$469K$1,950San Francisco$1.60M$4,900San Jose$1.35M$3,300New York City$818K$3,638Ohio$249K$1,340Chicago$397K$2,050Washington, DC$681K$2,500
These figures are useful as a general comparison, not as a quote for a particular neighborhood or type of home. Housing prices can change substantially from one neighborhood to another. Zillow's September 2026 rental data and July/August 2026 sales data are the basis for these figures.
A good closing for the SD Mini Movers page
Every move is different. Some of our clients leave San Diego for a lower-cost housing market. Others are moving for a new job, a growing industry, family, weather or simply a change in lifestyle. And many clients are moving to San Diego for the same reasons — better weather, access to the beach, outdoor activities and opportunities in industries such as biotechnology, healthcare, technology and defense.
Wherever you're going or wherever you're coming from, SD Mini Movers can help make the moving process easier.