What is the median rent in La Mesa, CA?

Name: Median rent in La Mesa, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in La Mesa, CA is $2,049 (±$64) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 12,833 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In La Mesa, the median gross rent went from $1,547 in 2015–2019 to $2,049 in 2020–2024 (+32.4%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $2,049 (±$64)
Rented homes: 12,833 (±757)
$2,000 or more: 52.7%
Since 2015–2019: +32.4%

How much rent costs in La Mesa

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	La Mesa	San Diego County	California	United States
Less than $500	2.7% (±1.6 points)	2.2%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	3.2% (±1.3 points)	3.8%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	12.5% (±2.8 points)	10.1%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	28.9% (±3.7 points)	22.7%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	28.0% (±3.8 points)	22.8%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	12.2% (±2.6 points)	14.8%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	12.5% (±2.3 points)	23.6%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 28.9% of renting households.

52.7% of rented homes in La Mesa cost $2,000 or more a month.

La Mesa against San Diego County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	La Mesa	San Diego County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$2,049 (±$64)	$2,246 (±$11)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	12,833 (±757)	518,013 (±3,959)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In La Mesa, median gross rent is lower than in San Diego County ($2,246).

It is not measurably different from California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In San Diego County, La Mesa ranks 29 of 48 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 397 of 1,010.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in La Mesa has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,547 (±$43)	$2,049 (±$64)	+32.4%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	58.5% (±1.8 points)	52.3% (±2.3 points)	−6.2 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	2.8% (±1.3 points)	3.1% (±1.7 points)	+0.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near La Mesa

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with La Mesa
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
La Mesa	—	$2,049 (±$64)	—
Lemon Grove	2.6 mi	$1,893 (±$112)	Lower
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix	3.1 mi	$1,973 (±$228)	Not measurably different
Spring Valley	3.8 mi	$2,166 (±$90)	Higher
La Presa	4.1 mi	$1,852 (±$47)	Lower
El Cajon	4.2 mi	$1,856 (±$27)	Lower
Bostonia	5.8 mi	$2,087 (±$126)	Not measurably different
Rancho San Diego	6.0 mi	$2,618 (±$286)	Higher
Santee	6.3 mi	$2,250 (±$84)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lemon Grove, CA ($1,893), La Presa, CA ($1,852), El Cajon, CA ($1,856).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Spring Valley, CA ($2,166), Rancho San Diego, CA ($2,618), Santee, CA ($2,250).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across San Diego County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
23	Vista	$2,249 (±$43)
24	Chula Vista	$2,229 (±$42)
25	Bonita	$2,218 (±$110)
26	Spring Valley	$2,166 (±$90)
27	Bostonia	$2,087 (±$126)
28	Rainbow	$2,085 (±$442)
29	La Mesa	$2,049 (±$64)
30	Escondido	$2,046 (±$61)
31	Lakeside	$2,016 (±$170)
32	Imperial Beach	$2,011 (±$85)
33	Campo	$2,004 (±$1,584)
34 (tie)	Alpine	$1,973 (±$200)
34 (tie)	Casa de Oro-Mount Helix	$1,973 (±$228)

Showing 13 of 48 places in San Diego County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about La Mesa

What is the average rent in La Mesa, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in La Mesa is $2,049 (±$64) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in La Mesa?

In La Mesa, the median gross rent went from $1,547 in 2015–2019 to $2,049 in 2020–2024 (+32.4%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in La Mesa cost more than $2,000 a month?

52.7% of rented homes in La Mesa have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 2.7% cost less than $500.

Is rent in La Mesa higher than in San Diego County?

In La Mesa, median gross rent is lower than in San Diego County ($2,246).

It is not measurably different from California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for La Mesa city, California (place:40004, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.