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Moving to
Bonita.
Bonita is an unincorporated community in San Diego County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Bonita
Bonita is an unincorporated community in California with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bonita deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Bonita compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bonita
Based on Bonita's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,436
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $88,720 a year
- 62% of Bonita renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$192,560
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $96,280
- Homes cost 8.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 57% above US
$2,218/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,218 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $962,800. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $962,800 · 62% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in San Diego County is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
San Diego County (county-wide)
Safety
167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Bonita doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the San Diego County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 315/100k · Policed by San Diego County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 74°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 47°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
39% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 25:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cabrillo National Monument (12 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Bonita's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,218/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Bonita
All California guides →Moving to Chula Vista →
2 mi away · pop. 276,375
Rent $2,229/mo · Income $108,032
Compare with Bonita →Moving to National City →
4 mi away · pop. 58,893
Rent $1,692/mo · Income $66,841
Compare with Bonita →Not sure Bonita is the one?
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