Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
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This article has been reviewed by a licensed Policygenius expert to ensure that sources, statistics, and claims meet our standard for accurate and unbiased advice.
San Diego is known for its warm climate, 70 miles of sunny beaches, and world-famous zoo — but the increased risk of wildfires and earthquakes over the years means San Diegans need comprehensive homeowners insurance coverage. The good news is, despite the fact that most residents live within 15 miles of a fault in San Diego, its insurance rates are relatively affordable. [1]
The average cost of homeowners insurance in San Diego is $1,333 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, according to our analysis of 2022 premiums. This is roughly 7% cheaper than the California state average of $1,436 per year, and almost 30% cheaper than the national average.
Compare the best cheap home insurance companies in San Diego
To find the best cheap homeowners insurance in San Diego, Policygenius rated 15 of the largest insurance companies in California across several categories, such as average policy cost, financial strength ratings with AM Best, customer and claims satisfaction scores with J.D. Power, available policy options, and more.
Based on our findings, USAA, Allstate, State Farm, Chubb, and Farmers are the best homeowners insurance companies in San Diego.
Offering the cheapest rates in San Diego according to our analysis, USAA policies cost just $810 per year. If you’re a military-affiliated homeowner in San Diego looking to save, USAA is likely your best bet. USAA also offers earthquake coverage — a good idea for San Diego homeowners who live near one of the city’s three fault lines.
Allstate is a reputable home insurance provider that offers flexible policy options at an affordable rate. One benefit of choosing Allstate is its extensive discount options. Homeowners can save up to 25% on their yearly premiums just by bundling their home and auto policies with Allstate.
State Farm has some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings around. If you’re a San Diego homeowner that needs more liability coverage offered by standard insurers, State Farm may be your best bet — the insurer offers up to $1 million in liability protection. Its rates are also below the city, state, and national averages at $1,214 per year.
Chubb is an excellent home insurance option for San Diegans who own home's valued at $1 million or more or have multiple properties or cars to insure. A base policy with Chubb includes enhanced coverage for both your home and your personal property, and you don’t need to pay a deductible on property damage greater than $50,000. That means if your home is leveled in a storm or destroyed by fire, you will not be financially responsible for any of the repair or rebuild costs.
With policies costing $1,429 per year, Farmers has the most expensive rates on our list, but they’re still around 25% cheaper than the national average. Farmers is one of the largest insurance companies in the country, and they offer different coverage tiers so that you can customize your policy to fit your needs. Farmers also makes things easy when filing a claim — you can file a claim online, via text, through its mobile app, or by calling its claims center.
Farmers also offers extended or guaranteed replacement cost coverage — which is ideal for San Diego homeowners that are at risk for wildfire damage.
Home insurance rates can vary substantially depending on which ZIP code your home is located in, as homes in certain San Diego areas may be more prone to wildfire damage or break-ins than others.
To help you find out how much home insurance costs where you live, we calculated average home insurance rates for 37 ZIP codes in San Diego.
ZIP code
Average annual cost
Difference from city average (%)
92014
$1,353
2%
92101
$1,307
-2%
92102
$1,303
-2%
92103
$1,289
-3%
92104
$1,284
-4%
92105
$1,296
-3%
92106
$1,295
-3%
92107
$1,309
-2%
92108
$1,300
-2%
92109
$1,291
-3%
92110
$1,288
-3%
92111
$1,311
-2%
92113
$1,305
-2%
92114
$1,345
1%
92115
$1,314
-1%
92116
$1,307
-2%
92117
$1,322
-1%
92119
$1,360
2%
92120
$1,353
2%
92121
$1,385
4%
92122
$1,338
0%
92123
$1,305
-2%
92124
$1,338
0%
92126
$1,340
1%
92127
$1,372
3%
92128
$1,383
4%
92129
$1,389
4%
92130
$1,371
3%
92131
$1,380
4%
92134
$1,326
-1%
92135
$1,334
0%
92139
$1,295
-3%
92140
$1,333
0%
92154
$1,294
-3%
92182
$1,328
0%
92197
$1,425
7%
92199
$1,434
8%
Cheapest ZIP codes for home insurance in San Diego
With an average home insurance rate of $1,284 per year, the 92104 ZIP code (North Park), is the most affordable area for home insurance in San Diego. The median home price in the 92104 Zip code is $896,339. And while the area has seen a 23% increase in home values over the last year, its home insurance rates are some of the cheapest in San Diego.
ZIP code
Average annual cost
Difference from city average (%)
92104
$1,284
-4%
92110
$1,288
-3%
92103
$1,289
-3%
92109
$1,291
-3%
92154
$1,294
-3%
92139
$1,295
-3%
92106
$1,295
-3%
92105
$1,296
-3%
92108
$1,300
-2%
92102
$1,303
-2%
Most expensive ZIP codes for home insurance in San Diego
With an average home insurance rate of $1,434, the 92199 ZIP code (Rancho Penasquitos) is the most expensive area for home insurance in San Diego.
Home insurance rates went up nearly 10% in California from 2021 to 2022. Here’s what you can expect this wildfire season.
Kara McGinley • August 2, 2022
San Diego home insurance costs by coverage amount
Dwelling coverage is the foundation of your homeowners insurance policy, protecting the structure of your home and attached structures. Your dwelling coverage limits should be equal to your home's replacement cost, which is the amount it'd cost to rebuild from the ground up in the event of a total loss.
As shown in the table below, more dwelling coverage means higher home insurance premiums.
Dwelling coverage level
Average annual cost
$100,000
$693
$200,000
$1,003
$300,000
$1,333
$400,000
$1,655
$500,000
$1,995
San Diego home insurance costs by deductible amount
A deductible is the amount you’re responsible for paying out of pocket before your insurance kicks in to cover a claim. Picking a high policy deductible will lower your home insurance premiums, but that also means you'll have to pay more out of pocket in the event you file a claim.
As seen in the table below, San Diego residents can save roughly $550 on home insurance per year by choosing a $2,500 deductible over a $500 deductible.
Deductible level
Average annual cost
$500
$1,630
$1,000
$1,347
$2,000
$1,206
$2,500
$1,082
The cheapest homeowners insurance companies in San Diego
Based on our analysis, USAA, AAA, and Allstate have the cheapest average home insurance rates in San Diego, with average rates of $810, $820, and $882 per year, respectively.
In addition to these insurers, eight other companies have average home insurance rates below the average San Diego rate of $1,333, including Mercury, Travelers, and AAA.
Company
Average annual cost
USAA
$810
AAA
$820
Allstate
$882
Mercury
$936
Pacific Specialty
$949
Travelers
$973
AAA
$985
National General
$1,010
Nationwide
$1,032
State Farm
$1,214
AIG
$1,256
Farmers
$1,429
Chubb
$1,830
The Hartford
$2,631
Pure Insurance
$3,233
Cheapest home insurance in San Diego if you have an older home
Older homes can be costly to insure, as they're more prone to structural damage than a newer build, and they're often constructed with materials and features that are more expensive to replace.
With an average annual premium of $683, Mercury offers the cheapest home insurance rates for a home over 100 years old, while Pure Insurance is the most expensive.
Company
Average annual cost
Difference from base rate (%)
Mercury
$683
72%
AAA
$820
61%
USAA
$867
57%
Travelers
$869
78%
Allstate
$888
43%
National General
$933
135%
Pacific Specialty
$988
60%
Nationwide
$1,029
157%
AAA
$1,043
46%
State Farm
$1,303
107%
AIG
$1,402
37%
Farmers
$1,429
126%
Chubb
$1,830
27%
The Hartford
$2,652
73%
Pure Insurance
$3,539
71%
Cheapest home insurance in San Diego if you have a history of claims
Claims history is one of the biggest factors insurers use to determine home insurance premiums. If you have multiple claims on your record, you'll typically pay more for home insurance, as insurers will consider you more likely to file future claims than a homeowner with a spotless claims history.
With an average annual premium of $1,070, Pacific Specialty offers the cheapest home insurance rates in San Diego for a homeowner that's filed three claims within a five-year period, while The Hartford is the most expensive.
Company
Average annual cost
Difference from base rate (%)
Pacific Specialty
$1,070
0%
AAA
$1,141
0%
National General
$1,167
0%
Allstate
$1,346
52%
State Farm
$1,368
8%
USAA
$1,519
45%
AAA
$1,744
59%
Mercury
$2,176
128%
AIG
$2,344
44%
Farmers
$2,761
87%
Nationwide
$2,819
144%
Travelers
$3,719
219%
Chubb
$3,993
94%
Pure Insurance
$7,232
76%
The Hartford
$7,407
183%
Cheapest home insurance in San Diego for bundling discounts
Most home insurance providers sell other types of insurance, too — such as auto, renters, and boat insurance — and often offer generous multi-policy discounts and perks if you use them for all of your insurance needs.
With an average premium of $773 per year, Travelers offers the cheapest home insurance rates on policy bundles.
Company
With Multi-Policy Discount
Difference from base rate (%)
Travelers
$773
-24%
Allstate
$806
-9%
AAA
$866
-12%
AAA
$895
-23%
USAA
$915
-16%
Mercury
$919
-7%
National General
$1,008
-9%
Pacific Specialty
$1,044
-4%
State Farm
$1,072
-22%
Nationwide
$1,129
0%
Farmers
$1,167
-23%
AIG
$1,232
-4%
Chubb
$1,766
-9%
The Hartford
$1,933
-29%
Pure Insurance
$2,980
-9%
How to get homeowners insurance quotes in San Diego
When shopping for homeowners insurance, you’ll want to make sure you have enough coverage to fully rebuild your home in the event of a disaster — this is especially the case if you live in a San Diego ZIP code at severe risk of wildfire damage.
A Policygenius agent can help you compare policies and companies all in one place to help you get the best and most affordable home insurance in San Diego.
5 simple steps to buying home insurance in San Diego
Reach out to a licensed Policygenius agent. Our team of licensed insurance experts are at the ready to help you figure out how much coverage you need and what company offers it at the best price — all for free with no impact to your credit score.
Ask about the California FAIR Plan. San Diego was rated very high risk for wildfires by FEMA. If you find that fire damage is excluded from your homeowners insurance policy, ask your Policygenius expert about obtaining fire coverage through the California FAIR Plan.
Ask about earthquake coverage. Since homeowners in San Diego are at high risk for earthquake damage, ask your Policygenius agent to show you quotes from insurers that offer earthquake coverage endorsements.
Compare quotes from a Policygenius agent. A Policygenius agent will walk you through quotes from a few different companies to help you find the best policy for your needs.
Sign the policy and pay your first premium. After you’ve chosen the policy you want, your Policygenius agent will complete all of the paperwork for you. The only thing left to do is sign the policy and pay your first premium. They’ll even cancel your old policy for you if it’s not up yet.
Homeowners insurance in San Diego costs an average of $1,333 per year or $111 a month.
Why are home insurance rates going up in California?
As wildfires and earthquakes become more common and severe in California, homeowners may see their rates increase. A good way to keep homeowners insurance costs down is to reshop your insurance every year to make sure you aren’t missing out on a better deal elsewhere. A Policygenius agent can help you compare quotes from multiple insurers at once, all for free.
What’s the cheapest homeowners insurance in San Diego?
USAA has some of the cheapest rates on our list for San Diego homeowners, with home insurance costing an average of $810 per year. Allstate is also pretty affordable, with an average rate of $882 per year. Keep in mind that homeowners insurance rates vary according to how much coverage you need, your home’s location, age, build, and more.
Methodology
Policygenius has analyzed home insurance rates provided by Quadrant Information Services in March 2022 for ZIP codes in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., for a 40-year-old female homeowner with no claim history, good credit, a $1,000 deductible, and the following coverage limits:
Dwelling: $300,000
Other structures: $30,000
Personal property: $150,000
Loss of use: $60,000
Liability: $300,000
Medical: $1,000
All rates based on the above coverage limits except where otherwise noted.
Some carriers may be represented by affiliates or subsidiaries. Rates provided are a sample of costs. Your actual quotes may differ.
References
Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary marketplace data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as part of our
Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
