Best PlacesCarmel Valley, San Diego, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Carmel Valley, San Diego, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Carmel Valley, San Diego ranks 224th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Carmel Valley, San Diego
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Carmel Valley, San Diego's strengths and weaknesses
Where Carmel Valley, San Diego ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Household income$192,474 median, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 245 pleasant days a year, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA, better than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Carmel Valley, San Diego ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Carmel Valley, San Diego
A household needs to earn about $408,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Carmel Valley, San Diego home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $192,474, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Carmel Valley, San Diego's effective rate of 0.72%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Carmel Valley, San Diego
Carmel Valley, San Diego's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Carmel Valley, San Diego.
Who works in Carmel Valley, San Diego, and how
Work in Carmel Valley, San Diego centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 33%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Carmel Valley, San Diego
Carmel Valley, San Diego has more parkland per resident than 72% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 5 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Carmel Valley, San Diego and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Carmel Valley, San Diego, month by month
Carmel Valley, San Diego sees roughly 245 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 70, with lows near 45. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 56° | 45° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 83° | 67° | 56° |
Flying in and out of Carmel Valley, San Diego
The nearest airport, McClellan-Palomar, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 14 miles away.
The best schools in and around Carmel Valley, San Diego
Schools across Carmel Valley, San Diego average an A, better than 93% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Pacific Trails MiddleA · 67% proficient
- Carmel Valley MiddleA · 67% proficient
- Earl Warren MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Canyon Crest AcademyA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Carmel Valley, San Diego school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Carmel Valley, San Diego measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Carmel Valley, San Diego against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Carmel Valley, San Diego suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 89% of neighborhoods and 33% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 94% of neighborhoods and health care access beats 85%.
Common questions about living in Carmel Valley, San Diego
Is Carmel Valley, San Diego a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Carmel Valley, San Diego ranks 224th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on an educated workforce, high incomes, and population health, and lowest on cell coverage and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Carmel Valley, San Diego expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,577,161. The overall cost of living runs about 56% above the national average. Set against a $192,474 median income, cost of living beats 89% of neighborhoods.
Is Carmel Valley, San Diego safe?
Yes, Carmel Valley, San Diego is safer than 71% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $358 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Carmel Valley, San Diego?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 70 with lows near 45. That works out to about 245 pleasant days a year, more than 94% of neighborhoods.
Is Carmel Valley, San Diego good for families?
Schools beat 93% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $1,432 a month.
Compare Carmel Valley, San Diego with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Carmel Valley, San Diego. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Carmel Valley, San Diego represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Carmel Valley, San Diego detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Carmel Valley, San Diego: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Carmel Valley, San Diego: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Carmel Valley, San Diego: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Carmel Valley, San Diego: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Carmel Valley, San Diego detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.