Best PlacesUniversity City, San Diego, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University City, 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.
University City, San Diego ranks 905th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University City, 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.
University City, San Diego's strengths and weaknesses
Where University City, San Diego ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 249 pleasant days a year, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 83% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
Where University City, San Diego ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter 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 University City, San Diego
A household needs to earn about $245,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University City, San Diego home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $113,080, 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 University City, San Diego's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 University City, San Diego
University City, San Diego runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University City, San Diego.
Who works in University City, San Diego, and how
Work in University City, San Diego centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 60%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in University City, San Diego
University City, San Diego has more parkland per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 5 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of University City, San Diego and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University City, San Diego, month by month
University City, San Diego sees roughly 249 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 University City, San Diego
San Diego International sits about 9 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 University City, San Diego
Schools across University City, San Diego average a B+, better than 83% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Muirlands MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- University City HighA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University City, San Diego school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University City, 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 University City, San Diego against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who University City, San Diego suits
Retirees
The weather beats 94% of neighborhoods and health care access beats 58%.
Common questions about living in University City, San Diego
Is University City, San Diego a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University City, San Diego ranks 905th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on an educated workforce, the weather, and population health, and lowest on an overheated housing market and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University City, San Diego expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $960,420. The overall cost of living runs about 48% above the national average. Set against a $113,080 median income, cost of living beats 46% of neighborhoods.
Is University City, San Diego safe?
Yes, University City, San Diego is safer than 70% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $366 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in University City, San Diego?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 70 with lows near 45. That works out to about 249 pleasant days a year, more than 94% of neighborhoods.
Is University City, San Diego good for families?
Schools beat 83% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 70%, and childcare runs $1,432 a month.
Compare University City, San Diego with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University City, San Diego. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University City, 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.
University City, San Diego detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University City, San Diego: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University City, San Diego: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University City, San Diego: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University City, San Diego: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University City, 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.