ONLY THE WEALTHY CAN AFFORD TO LIVE IN LUXURY HIGH RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS
In San Diego, entering the upper class generally requires an annual household income exceeding $250,000 to $300,000+ and a net worth between $3 million and $4.5 million.
https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2019/4093/ca-geography-wealth-090519.pdf
https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/12vsgol/is_being_rich_and_acting_poor_a_common_lifestyle/
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocitycalifornia/INC110224
https://www.sdfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/San-Diego-Economic-Equity-Report.pdf
SDREUILDERS CHRISTIAN SPICER ADUs San Diego ADUs YIMBYS YIMBY DEMS SAN DIEGO AIRBNB MAYOR TODD GLORIA SDRE ADUs SAN DIEGO ADU LAWS AFFORDABLE HOUSING APARTMENT RENTALS ADU RENTALS SAN DIEGO HOUSING LUXURY HOUSING SAN DIEGO HIGH RENTS NEW APARTMENT BUILDINGS NEAR BARS AND RESTAURANTS APARTMENTS GAS LAMP DISTRICT SAN DIEGO ITALIAN FOOD LITTLE ITALY SAN DIEGO ENTERTAINMENT DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
Little Italy, San Diego
East Village, Downtown San Diego Luxury high-rises sit just on the perimeter of the Gaslamp District in East Village, Core-Columbia, and Cortez Hill.
Hillcrest
22% of the City of San Diego population earns $77K-$130K
81% of all new housing is too expensive for the typical 4-person household
72% of all new permitted housing units rents are for Above Moderate Income: a 4-person household income of >$157,500+
9% of all new permitted units rents are for Moderate Income: a 4-person household income of $157,100.
11% of all permitted unit rents are for Low Income: a 4-person household income of $139,900
7% of all permitted unit rents are for Very Low Income: a 4-person household income of $87,450
Families can't afford to buy
Based on a $130,000 annual income, 10.7% of San Diegans can afford a maximum monthly rent to $4,333, October 2026
22% of San Diegans earn <$130,000
$75,000 to $99,999: 11.8% households
$100,000 to $129,999: 10.7% households
The 30% Rule (Recommended standard): $3,250 per month. This allocates exactly 30% of your gross monthly income ($10,833) to rent, leaving the remaining 70% for utilities, taxes, insurance, and personal expenses.
The 40x Rent Rule (Landlord qualification metric): $3,250 per month. Many property management companies require your gross annual income to be at least 40 times the monthly rent to approve your application.
The 25% Rule (Conservative approach): $2,708 per month. This limits housing to 25% of gross income, optimizing your cash flow for savings or other household commitments.
The 50/30/20 Rule (Aggressive maximum): $4,333 per month. This allocates a full 40% of gross income toward rent, assuming your total fixed "needs" (including utilities and insurance) do not exceed 50% ($5,416) of your monthly budget.
The average salary in San Diego $79K-$130K
Gusto: A median salary of $73,080 per year.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): An average (mean) salary of $79,060 per year (with a median of $58,690) for the San Diego metro area.
Glassdoor: An average salary of $92,533 per year (approx. $44 per hour).
County Data: San Diego County's Area Median Income (AMI) is listed at $130,900 for a baseline reference standard.
https://opendata.sandag.org/stories/s/t6yh-wfif https://opendata.sandag.org/stories/s/RHNA-Progress-Dashboard-2025/t6yh-wfif/
Data from the City of San Diego’s official housing reports reveals only 5.3% of recently permitted housing units are explicitly designated or affordable for this level of income.
The RHNA quota doesn't make sense. The state can sue the city for not permitting new housing. But the city can't specify to builders the type of housing it needs built.
The state gives the quota, the city has to allow developers to build whatever they want. The result is a city with more above-moderate (market-rate) housing than needed. Good job developers! Too bad San Diego is at 117% of its RHNA target for expensive housing.
All we hear is, we need more housing, end zoning, more density will fix this.
Reddit/SDHousing:https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/1ua2r18/how_on_earth_are_people_affording_houses_in_san/
Census: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US0666000-san-diego-ca/
Income charts: https://sdhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AMIIncomeLimits-2026.pdf
Mayor Gloria,
Replacing small apartment buildings and homes with a high rise upscale apartment building (photo: 525 Olive, Bankers Hill shown above next to the church) brings in more real estate taxes.
It does not provide housing for the average San Diego family of 4, living on $145K. They can't afford $7,200 for a 2-bedroom unit + parking, etc. in 525 Olive St, Bankers Hill, San Diego 92103
San Diego doesn't have a housing shortage. It has an abundance of luxury apartments.
Cordially,
Trudy G
Summer 2026
10/2026 525 Olive rents: https://www.apartments.com/525-olive-san-diego-ca/shtk9c5/
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocitycalifornia/INC110224
Cringe Worthy Reviews About "Luxury" High-Rises in San Diego
April 6, 2026
"I just went down to the pool for a relaxing jacuzzi session on this lovely Monday and there were people having se!x in broad daylight on the couches.
Ever since Diega started allowing people to rent out their apartments on Airbnb, this has become a ratchet place to live. I pay too much to live here for these nasty people to be having se!x at 6 pm in broad daylight on a Monday in a shared public space.
Oh and there's were also a group of people that looked like str!ppers or prost!tutes with glass tequila bottles at the jacuzzi.
This is a luxury apartment complex. I've lived here for 3.5 years and the second tenants were allowed to rent out their units, the quality of living went down. But my rent has not. Security and management have not done anything to address these issues. There haven't even been emails sent out to address something small like glass at the pool. Someone actually broke a bottle of Hennessy at the pool a couple weekends ago and there still was not an email.
When I went down to the leasing office to complain about the people having se!x at the pool, the leasing agent checked her watch to see if she was still on the clock before she let us tell her what happened. Great customer service. Truly unbelievable."
Greystar M. Business Owner
Apr 7, 2026
We are disappointed to hear that behavior of our residents has caused a less than desired experience. We will review our cameras to ensure if we can determine who is creating this disturbance that we are able to hold them accountable.
Additionally, we always have our 24-hour security available to address any issues as they are occurring and can always assist with any type of inappropriate behavior that could happen at any point. We will reach out to connect with you to see if there is any additional information that can help us resolve this issue.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/diega-san-diego?hrid=sYm7KuKdQy9PHpcuVpOd4A&osq=Luxury+Apartments
Aug 18, 2025 I had a long review posted but then removed it, believing Greystar would do the right thing. They haven't, so we're so back baby.
In short, Diega's leading agents made fraudulent misrepresentations about billing practices.
Diega has also, contrary to their own contract terms, have sublease about 50 units to short-term renters (Airbnb and military contractors).
Diega also withdrew their "Alfred" service which they advertised and offered as a service, without compensation.
Finally, Greystar is cheap af. It's everything wrong with a corporate-run company, but it also operates as an insurance company, looking to find ways to make you pay for everything while denying liability for everything they can.
I'm currently taking them to small claims.
Pipes Burst, Elevators Stop Working and Airbnb Guests Take Over
CITY OF SAN DIEGO HOUSING LAWS
Give builders density bonus waivers.
Tear down old and affordable housing. Build expensive.
Keep trade unions working and happy.
Keep trade union donations and votes flowing to politicians.
High Rise Life Style
Downtown San Diego is incredibly fun and energetic (and somewhat expensive) if you love a fast-paced urban lifestyle, but it comes with distinct pros and cons that depend on your personal tolerance for crowds and noise.
High-rise one bedroom rent 2026: $5,400-$7,300
University Town Center, UTC, near UCSD and the start of the biotech corridor is thirteen miles north of downtown.