Imperial Beach, California Housing Market Prices
Imperial Beach Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 19% below the California median$528,248
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Median rent 2% below the California median$1,999
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $528,248 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -7.2% | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,999 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 6.1% | 5.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Imperial Beach is about 19% lower than in California. Rent is about 2% lower than the California average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Imperial Beach: home prices fell about 7.2% a year while rent rose about 6.1% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Imperial Beach rose about 65.3% between 2015 and 2024, from $1,209 to $1,999. Over the same span, rent in California rose about 62.2%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 6.3 yearly household incomes in Imperial Beach.
Buying the median-priced home in Imperial Beach costs roughly 22.0 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Imperial Beach. The price-to-rent ratio in California is about 26.6.
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $528,248 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $84,067 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 6.3 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Imperial Beach rose about 17.4%, while median household income rose about 59.8% between 2009 and 2025 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 28.3% | 51.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 62.7% | 40.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 9.0% | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2016 | 2011 | 2011 |
Imperial Beach has a homeownership rate of 28.3%, lower than the California average of 51.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 9.0%, compared with 7.5% in California.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.69 people | 2.84 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1972 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Imperial Beach was built around 1972. On average, 2.7 people live in a home with about 4.2 rooms, staying for about 10.0 years on average.
Imperial Beach, CA Housing Compared With Nearby Cities
Imperial Beach, CA is the smallest of the 4 cities compared here, 25,196 residents against a local median of 57,784. Imperial Beach, CA's homeownership, at 31.1%, runs 47% below the 58.8% typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $528,248 against a local median of $704,019, 25% below it. The cities themselves spread 32.2% on homeownership, so Imperial Beach, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Imperial Beach, CA has the 4th highest homeownership of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Beach, CA | 25,196 | $528,248 #4/4 | $1,999 #2/4 | 31.1% #4/4 |
| National City, CA | 57,784 | $732,876 | $1,679 | 35.2% |
| Chula Vista, CA | 265,525 | $704,019 | $2,223 | 58.8% |
| La Presa, CA | 34,750 | $657,064 | $1,848 | 67.4% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Imperial Beach, California.
What is the median home price in Imperial Beach, California?
The median home price in Imperial Beach, California is $528,248, lower than the California average of $650,794.
What is the average home price in Imperial Beach, California?
The typical home price in Imperial Beach, California, reported as the median sale price, is $528,248. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Imperial Beach, California?
The median gross rent in Imperial Beach, California is $1,999 per month, lower than the California average of $2,036.
What was the median gross rent in Imperial Beach in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Imperial Beach, California was $1,485 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Imperial Beach, California?
The price-to-rent ratio in Imperial Beach, California is about 22.0, meaning it would take roughly 22.0 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Imperial Beach.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Imperial Beach, California?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Imperial Beach: home prices fell about 7.2% a year while rent rose about 6.1% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Imperial Beach, California?
28.3% of households in Imperial Beach, California own their home, lower than the California average of 51.7%.
What is the vacancy rate in Imperial Beach, California?
The housing vacancy rate in Imperial Beach, California is 9.0%, higher than the California average of 7.5%.
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