What it's like to live in Lakeside (San Diego County)
Lakeside (San Diego County) is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lakeside (San Diego County) deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- High rent burden for renters
How Lakeside (San Diego County) compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lakeside (San Diego County)
Based on Lakeside (San Diego County)'s median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,032
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $80,640 a year
- 51% of Lakeside (San Diego County) renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$126,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $63,440
- Homes cost 6.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 43% above US
$2,016/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,016 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 $634,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $634,400 · 51% 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
Lakeside (San Diego County) 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
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 27% below US
26% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cabrillo National Monument (23 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lakeside (San Diego County)'s strongest point is household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,016/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
See all the data for Lakeside (San Diego County) →·All California cities →
Other places near Lakeside (San Diego County)
All California guides →Moving to Winter Gardens →
2 mi away · pop. 22,131
Rent $1,913/mo · Income $97,973
Compare with Lakeside (San Diego County) →Moving to Bostonia →
4 mi away · pop. 16,765
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Compare with Lakeside (San Diego County) →Moving to Santee →
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Rent $2,250/mo · Income $113,394
Compare with Lakeside (San Diego County) →Moving to El Cajon →
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Compare with Lakeside (San Diego County) →Not sure Lakeside (San Diego County) is the one?
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