Comparing Five California Real Estate Markets

Brant: “The “sunshine tax” that we refer to locally for our higher cost of living compared to the nation is actually not as much of a factor in the Golden State.”

SAN DIEGO—The real estate markets in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley are similar in many ways, but each has its unique traits. Even within the same real estate services company, executives notice differences and similarities. GlobeSt.com spoke with JLL executives in each region to get their take on the market.

Josh Brant, senior research analyst, JLL San Diego: When looking at the current state of the San Diego office and industrial markets, it’s an interesting juxtaposition to look at San Diego in comparison to the other California markets. San Francisco is one of the few markets that can make our industrial average asking rental rates seem low. Currently, the market average of $0.86 per square foot is an all-time high for San Diego. The San Diego market actually surpassed the previous all-time high, by the end of 2015, and has seen continued growth since that time, with the year-end 2016 rate being a 10.3% increase over the previous year. Similarly, San Diego is known for high housing costs, but in comparison to the other major coastal California metros, San Diego is actually more affordable. The trend continues into the office market, with San Diego having the lowest average asking rent for office space among the major coastal California markets. So, in short, among our coastal California peers, San Diego is actually a good deal. The “sunshine tax” that we refer to locally for our higher cost of living compared to the nation is actually not as much of a factor in the Golden State.