National City, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a National City house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a National City house

$12,918a year · $1,077 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $612,200; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A National City house at the typical market value ($612,200) pays about $12,900 a year: $7,770 property tax and charges, $940 water, $330 trash, $2,380 electricity, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Seniors 60+: 20% discount20%
EDCO offers National City residents a Senior Discount (60+) of 20%.
How: Fill out EDCO's application form or contact EDCO.
Low-income water bill help (CARE or income limit)Six $30 credits
Approved Sweetwater Authority customers receive six credits of $30 each, applied over six consecutive water bills. Customers must show proof that they are an active participant in SDG&E's CARE program or meet the income limits.
How: Apply at Sweetwater Authority's Administrative Office or online via the Water Affordability Program page.
CARE households: 20% off bill20% off
Customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program receive a 20% discount on their bill.
How: See SDG&E discount programs at sdge.com/assistance.
Community Power PowerBase optionLower generation rate
Community Power's published generation rate for standard residential service is $0.14366 per kWh on PowerOn and $0.13268 per kWh on PowerBase (January 2026 sheet).
How: See San Diego Community Power's residential rates sheet.
Claim the homeowners' exemptionAbout $70 a year
The Homeowners' Exemption appears on your property tax bill as a reduction of $7,000 of assessed value.
How: File with the San Diego County Assessor; see the exemption page.

Money dates

Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment delinquent after close of business; 10% penalty added to later payments.
Feb 15in 115 daysHomeowners' exemption: regular deadline for the full exemption of approximately $70; late filings from February 16 to December 10 receive 80%.

Who serves this house

Water: Sweetwater Authority; Rates effective January 1, 2026: a bi-monthly fixed charge and SDCWA infrastructure access charge by meter size, plus a charge per HCF (hundred cubic feet, approx. 748 gallons) in four tiers for single-family homes
Property tax: 1.17% of value; 2025-26 tax year, San Diego County (tax rate area 06006)
Garbage: EDCO; Residential trash, recycling and organics collection by EDCO
Sewer: City of National City; Sewer service charge collected on the property tax bill
Electricity: SDG&E, with San Diego Community Power generation; Community Power rates cover electric generation; delivery rates are on SDG&E's tariffs
Gas: SDG&E; Bundled residential average gas rate $2.768 a therm (March 2026)

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Customers receive water from four sources: the Sweetwater River (drawn at Sweetwater Reservoir in Spring Valley), deep freshwater wells in National City, brackish water wells in Chula Vista, and imported supply from the Colorado River or the State Water Project.
Imported: The region's imported supply is drawn from the Colorado River or the State Water Project in Northern California, or both.
Treatment: Surface water is treated and disinfected at the Robert A. Perdue Water Treatment Plant.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Individual bills are not public, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Garbage (EDCO): $27.66 a month, the single-family rate on the City rate schedule dated July 1, 2025; a July 2026 schedule was not found, and the schedule's column is labelled proposed, so the figure may be one year old. No adopted July 2025 or July 2026 rate was found, and a later adjustment is possible.
Water (Sweetwater Authority, rates from January 1, 2026): bi-monthly meter charge $31.44 plus SDCWA infrastructure access charge $9.10 for a 5/8-inch meter, halved to $20.27 a month; per HCF we add the Sweetwater tier rate, the $0.57 SDCWA wholesale charge and the five pass-through charges ($0.23 in total), and halve the bi-monthly tier limits (2, 6.5 and 12 HCF a month). No typical use is published, so the page starts at its default.
Sewer: $54.30 a month for a single-family home in fiscal year 2026-27 under the adopted five-year plan, collected on the property tax bill ($651.60 a year).
Property tax: 1.17402% of assessed value (tax rate area 06006, fiscal year 2025-26; 2026-27 not yet published): 1% general levy, 0.04102% National School District, 0.07798% Sweetwater Union High, 0.04536% Southwestern College, 0.007% Metropolitan Water District and 0.00266% City library bond, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. About 35 of 54 National City tax rate areas are at this rate; others are at 1.16702 to 1.24880. The starting value is the Census median market value, not assessed value. The only flat charge found for typical homes is the $13.08 county vector assessment; the county's separate coastal-region $3 vector service charge was not confirmed on National City bills and is left out; the City weed abatement and landscape district charges affect few parcels.
Electricity: SDG&E TOU-DR1 delivery charges ($0.32601 plus $0.00591 per kWh) plus the 2022-vintage power charge indifference adjustment ($0.02789) plus Community Power's standard residential generation rate ($0.14366 per kWh, January 2026 sheet), $0.50347 per kWh, and the $0.79343 daily Base Services Charge averaged to $24.13 a month; 346 kWh is a typical San Diego County TOU-DR1 customer's use from a Clean Energy Alliance comparison. Gas: SDG&E fixed charge $0.13 a day plus $2.5469 a therm, so 24 therms gives SDG&E's March 2026 non-CARE average bill of $65.08. Insurance is the 2022 California average premium. The insurance figure is statewide, not specific to National City or San Diego County; no newer figure was found.
Electricity note detail: SDG&E Base Services Charge $0.79343 per day; $0.14366 generation rate is from Community Power's January 2026 sheet and a later schedule may differ. Gas: CPUC lists SDG&E's residential fixed charge as $0.13 per day (non-CARE, September 2025). CARE discount applies to SDG&E gas per SDG&E's gas rate alert.
Modelling: the calculator applies the tax rate to the value you enter; enter the assessed value from your tax bill.
Gas utility is assumed to be SDG&E (the San Diego County gas utility); no source quoted states its service area.
Gas: SDG&E assumed to be National City's gas utility (San Diego County); no city-specific territory source found.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How National City compares

A typical National City house against the 207 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	National City	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.17%	1.13%	higher than 155 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Water	$944	$944	higher than 103 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Trash	$332	$443	lower than 168 of the other 187 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,380	$3,463	lower than 194 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 201 other California cities we cover
Total	$12,918	$14,973	lower than 144 of the other 206 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: National City's property tax rate is 1.17%, higher than 155 of the other 206 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in National City is 1.17%, higher than 155 of the other 206 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $332 a year for the standard cart, lower than 168 of the other 187 California cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $332 a year for the standard cart, lower than 168 of the other 187 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,380 a year, lower than 194 of the other 206 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,380 a year for a typical house, lower than 194 of the other 206 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about National City house costs

What is the property tax rate in National City?

About 1.17% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, San Diego County (tax rate area 06006)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $652, County vector control assessment $13).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in National City?

About $6,453 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $665 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in National City?

About $79 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Sweetwater Authority.

How much does trash pickup cost in National City?

$28 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in National City?

Dec 10: First property tax installment delinquent after close of business; 10% penalty added to later payments.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in National City?

Yes. Seniors 60+: 20% discount: EDCO offers National City residents a Senior Discount (60+) of 20%.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in National City?

Low-income water bill help (CARE or income limit): Approved Sweetwater Authority customers receive six credits of $30 each, applied over six consecutive water bills. Customers must show proof that they are an active participant in SDG&E's CARE program or meet the income limits. Apply at Sweetwater Authority's Administrative Office or online via the Water Affordability Program page.

How much does a house in National City cost to run each year?

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