Best PlacesClairemont Mesa, San Diego, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Clairemont Mesa, San Diego, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Clairemont Mesa, San Diego ranks 1,011th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Clairemont Mesa, 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.
Clairemont Mesa, San Diego's strengths and weaknesses
Where Clairemont Mesa, San Diego ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 289 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Clairemont Mesa, San Diego ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
A household needs to earn about $229,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Clairemont Mesa, San Diego home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $115,758, 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 Clairemont Mesa, San Diego's effective rate of 0.57%, 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 Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
Clairemont Mesa, 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 Clairemont Mesa, San Diego.
Who works in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego, and how
Work in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
Clairemont Mesa, San Diego has more parkland per resident than 94% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Clairemont Mesa, San Diego and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego, month by month
Clairemont Mesa, San Diego sees roughly 289 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 45. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 56° | 45° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 53° |
| July | 82° | 71° | 65° |
| October | 82° | 68° | 58° |
Flying in and out of Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
San Diego International sits about 6 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.7 million passengers in 2025, with 121 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
Schools across Clairemont Mesa, San Diego average a C+, better than 57% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Kavod CharterA− · 60% proficient
- Clairemont Canyons AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Montgomery MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Clairemont Mesa, San Diego school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Clairemont Mesa, 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 Clairemont Mesa, San Diego against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Clairemont Mesa, San Diego suits
Retirees
The weather beats 96% of neighborhoods and health care access beats 68%.
Common questions about living in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego
Is Clairemont Mesa, San Diego a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Clairemont Mesa, San Diego ranks 1,011th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on the weather, low property taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on taxes and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Clairemont Mesa, San Diego expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $905,297. The overall cost of living runs about 41% above the national average. Set against a $115,758 median income, cost of living beats 52% of neighborhoods.
Is Clairemont Mesa, San Diego safe?
Yes, Clairemont Mesa, San Diego is safer than 71% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $356 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego?
July highs average about 82 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 45. That works out to about 289 pleasant days a year, more than 96% of neighborhoods.
Is Clairemont Mesa, San Diego good for families?
Schools beat 57% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $1,432 a month.
Compare Clairemont Mesa, San Diego with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Clairemont Mesa, San Diego. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Clairemont Mesa, 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.
Clairemont Mesa, San Diego detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Clairemont Mesa, San Diego: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Clairemont Mesa, San Diego: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Clairemont Mesa, 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.