San Diego, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a San Diego 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 San Diego house

$19,499a year · $1,625 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $980,700; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A San Diego house at the typical market value ($980,700) pays about $19,500 a year: $12,200 property tax and charges, $2,170 water and sewer, $530 trash, $3,110 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 20, 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:

Switch to the 35-gal cartUp to $131 a year
Your cart costs $45 a month; the smallest costs $34. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Property owners can make one service-level change per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) at WastePortal.sandiego.gov or by calling 858-694-7000.
Use less water in winter to lower your sewer billLower sewer all year
A single-family home's flat sewer rate is based on water used during the previous winter (mostly November through April), and it applies from the bill that includes July 1 for a year.
How: Fix leaks and save water in winter. Call 619-515-3500 for your exact monitoring dates.
Financial need: help paying the trash feeIncome-based help
The City and MAAC offer financial assistance to property owners who pay the Solid Waste Management Fee and show financial need, including households that meet income criteria or are in qualifying assistance programs. Awarded first come, first served while funding lasts.
How: Apply through MAAC; the Fiscal Year 2027 deadline is April 30, 2027.
Free trash bin repair and replacementNo charge
Since July 1, 2025 the Solid Waste Management Fee covers container repair, replacement and delivery at no additional cost.
How: Request it at WastePortal.sandiego.gov or call 858-694-7000.
CARE households: 20% off gas20% off gas
Customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program receive a 20% discount on their SDG&E natural gas bill.
How: See SDG&E discount programs at sdge.com/assistance.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartEvery bundle includes a 95-gallon recycling bin and a 95-gallon organics bin. Rates from July 1, 2026.

Value before exemptionsThe assessed or appraised value on your tax bill or notice, before exemptions (not the "taxable" line).

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, 2022 (NAIC data via the Insurance Information Institute; California figures from the California Department of Insurance).

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your SDG&E bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30in 38 daysLast day to file an appeal of your assessed value with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Boards (filing period July 2nd through November 30th).
Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment delinquent after close of business; 10% penalty after that.
Jan 1, 2027in 70 daysThe City has proposed a unitary water rate for bills beginning Jan. 1, 2027: $11.09 per HCF for single-family homes and a $40.97 monthly service charge for 5/8" and 3/4" meters (previously adopted: $40.69).
Feb 15in 115 daysHomeowners' exemption deadline for the full exemption (about $70); late filings through December 10 get 80%.

Who serves this house

Water: City of San Diego Public Utilities; water rates effective January 1, 2026; the bill is a monthly meter base fee plus the water used, measured in hundred cubic feet (HCF)
Property tax: 1.25% of value; 2025-26 tax year, San Diego County (tax rate area 08001)
Garbage: City of San Diego Environmental Services; Trash, recycling and organics bins; the fee is a line on the county property tax bill
Sewer: City of San Diego Public Utilities; On the water bill; a single-family home's sewer rate is set from the previous winter's water use
Electricity: SDG&E, with San Diego Community Power as the default generation provider; One SDG&E bill; Community Power's generation charge replaces SDG&E's
Gas: SDG&E; Bundled residential average gas rate about $2.768 a therm (March 2026)

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Most of the City's water is imported raw water bought from the San Diego County Water Authority, mostly a blend of Colorado River and State Water Project water, treated at the City's plants.
Hardness: Total hardness averaged 237 to 243 ppm (13.8 to 14.2 grains per gallon) at the Alvarado, Miramar and Otay treatment plants in 2025.
Unregulated contaminants and PFAS: In 2023 the water was tested for 30 unregulated contaminants, including 29 PFAS compounds. 29 of the 30 were not detected above the EPA reporting level; the one detected was lithium.
Lead: Lead and copper were non-detectable above the state reporting limit in the water produced at the City's treatment plants, but can enter drinking water through plumbing in homes.
Violation notice: In 2023 the State Water Board found the City had not fully implemented its cross-connection (backflow) control program; in 2025 it completed 45% of the required surveys, 2 years ahead of schedule.

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 (City trash fee on the property tax bill, from July 1, 2026): 35-gallon bundle $33.66 a month, 65-gallon $39.86, 95-gallon $44.57, each with 95-gallon recycling and organics bins. Lower fees are approved from July 1, 2027.
Water (City of San Diego, rates from January 1, 2026): $35.53 a month meter fee for a 5/8 or 3/4-inch meter, then $8.51, $9.50 and $11.89 per HCF. The City's rate study says the 0-10 and 11-22 HCF tier limits are per two-month bill and monthly limits are half, so we use 0-5, 6-11 and above 11 HCF a month (the City's rates page lists 0-10 and 11-22 without saying so).
Sewer: we use the $22.56 two-month base as $11.28 a month plus $5.92 per HCF of this month's water, up to 20 HCF. The City actually sets a single-family home's sewer charge from the previous winter's water use, starting with the bill that includes July 1, so yours may differ.
Property tax: 1.25114% of assessed value (tax rate area 08001, fiscal year 2025-26; the 2026-27 rate book is not out yet): 1% general levy, 0.18532% San Diego Unified bonds, 0.05382% San Diego Community College bonds, 0.007% Metropolitan Water District, 0.005% zoo levy, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. The starting value is the Census median market value; under Prop 13 your assessed value is likely lower if you bought years ago. Fixed charges: the $13.08 county vector control assessment (2026-27). Not included: the county vector service charge ($2.28 or $3.00 a parcel by region) and any water availability or standby lines, whose amounts we could not source.
Electricity: SDG&E's published annual average bill for a typical bundled TOU-DR1 customer, $194 a month at 400 kWh (April 2026). We split it into the $0.79343 a day Base Services Charge averaged over the year ($24.13 a month) and $0.4247 per kWh for the rest ((194 - 24.13) / 400), which already averages seasons, time-of-use periods and the baseline credit. Homes on San Diego Community Power, the city's default provider, pay its generation rates instead of SDG&E's; we have not added those. Gas: SDG&E's $0.13 a day fixed charge (CPUC table, September 2025) averaged over the year ($3.95 a month), plus $2.5469 a therm, so that 24 therms a month gives SDG&E's March 2026 average non-CARE bill of $65.08 ((65.08 - 3.95) / 24).
Not included: the small City storm drain fee on the water bill (amount not published). Insurance starts at the 2022 California average premium, $1,492.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How San Diego compares

A typical San Diego house against the 110 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	San Diego	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.25%	1.13%	higher than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$1,393	$955	higher than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$775	$584	higher than 54 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$535	$438	higher than 79 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,109	$3,556	lower than 91 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 108 other California cities we cover
Total	$19,499	$15,240	higher than 89 of the other 109 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: San Diego's property tax rate is 1.25%, higher than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in San Diego is 1.25%, higher than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,393 a year at typical use, higher than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,393 a year at typical use, higher than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $535 a year for the standard cart, higher than 79 of the other 101 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 $535 a year for the standard cart, higher than 79 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,109 a year, lower than 91 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,109 a year for a typical house, lower than 91 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about San Diego house costs

What is the property tax rate in San Diego?

About 1.25% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, San Diego County (tax rate area 08001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (County vector control assessment $13).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in San Diego?

About $6,181 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $13 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in San Diego?

About $181 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of San Diego Public Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in San Diego?

$34 to $45 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gal, 65-gal, 95-gal).

When is property tax due in San Diego?

Dec 10: First property tax installment delinquent after close of business; 10% penalty after that. Apr 10: Second property tax installment delinquent after close of business; 10% penalty plus $10 cost.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in San Diego?

Financial need: help paying the trash fee: The City and MAAC offer financial assistance to property owners who pay the Solid Waste Management Fee and show financial need, including households that meet income criteria or are in qualifying assistance programs. Awarded first come, first served while funding lasts. Apply through MAAC; the Fiscal Year 2027 deadline is April 30, 2027.

How much does a house in San Diego cost to run each year?

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