6 San Diego ZIP codes make list of the nation’s priciest

Crack open a tin of caviar because several San Diego areas have made a list of the most expensive places to own a home.

For the first time, six San Diego County ZIP codes made PropertyShark’s annual list of the 100 most expensive areas. The previous record was five ZIPs in 2023.

This year’s list features the highest-ever showing for Rancho Santa Fe (92067) at No. 9, up from 10th place the previous two years. The median sale price is $4.55 million, up from $4.2 million last year.

Rancho Santa Fe real estate agent Laura Barry, who often ranks as the county’s top agent in terms of sales volume, said the exclusive community has benefited over the past year from people moving in from outside San Diego.

She said buyers from Los Angeles County have been the largest group to hang their hat in the area. Barry said that is in part because of L.A.’s mansion tax, which taxes property sales between $5 million and $10 million an additional 4 percent. Anything that sells for more than $10 million is subject to a higher 5.5 percent tax.

“They realize the lifestyle is so much nicer,” Barry said of Los Angeles transplants. “We are immune to how amazing it is here.”

She said other affluent buyers are coming from all over Florida, the San Francisco Bay Area and wealthier parts of Texas. Barry said she also has noticed a curious phenomenon in the past few years: Rancho Santa Fe sellers who swore off California about two years ago are returning because they miss it too much.

Rancho Santa Fe isn’t the only place with an increased standing. Don’t be surprised if residents from Carmel Valley are suddenly taking up reservations at Mister A’s. For the first time since the list started in 2016, the 92130 ZIP code has been added to the most expensive list with a median sale price of $1.96 million.

Atherton in San Mateo County, with a median sales price of $7.9 million, remains the most expensive ZIP in the U.S. — a position it has held every year since the list started. The Bay Area community is a hub of Silicon Valley wealth.

Affluent residents of San Diego County still get the small table at the black tie gala. Los Angeles County, which has 18 ZIP codes on the list, is the nation’s priciest county. It was followed by Santa Clara County (16 ZIPs), Orange County (11 ZIPs), and New York’s Suffolk County (8 ZIPs).

California, by far, is the most expensive with 80 ZIP codes on the list — making up 66 percent of the entire list. New York came in a distant second with 19 ZIPs.

PropertyShark uses transactions from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 to compile its list. Here’s a look at San Diego County ZIP codes on the list:

Rancho Santa Fe (92067)

Rancho Santa Fe ranked No. 9 on the list with its median of $4.55 million, up from No. 10 the previous two years. It was No.18 in 2021, which was the first time a San Diego County ZIP cracked the top 20. It’s been mostly climbing since the list was started: It was No. 26 in 2016, No. 32 in 2017, No. 29 in 2018, No. 29 in 2019 and No. 23 in 2020.

Del Mar (92014)

Del Mar ranked No. 40 with its median home price of $2.8 million, up from No. 51 last year. The oceanfront community recently was sued for blocking the development of a 259-unit apartment complex called Seaside Ridge, which would have had 85 subsidized apartments.

Coronado (92118)

Coronado ranked No. 57 with a median of $2.4 million, up from No. 61 last year. The pricey locale recently came to an agreement with the state, after it threatened legal action, to identify room for up 912 new homes.

La Jolla (92037)

La Jolla reached No. 74 with a median of $2.18 million, after narrowly making the list last year at No. 99. La Jolla had several major sales in 2024, including the Foxhill Estate for $35 million, with plans to develop the site into five new mansions. Another large property, the 4.5-acre 8303 La Jolla Shores Drive also sold for $35 million this year.

Cardiff (92007)

Cardiff ranked No. 82 with its median of $2.1 million, up from No. 86 last year. Many in the beach community have been frustrated by the development of new housing projects, which became a heated topic at a recent mayoral debate.

Carmel Valley (92130)

This ZIP code covers Carmel Valley, as well as Pacific Highlands Ranch, Del Mar Mesa and Rancho Pacifica. It narrowly made the list, at No. 92, with a $1.96 median sale price.