Retirement Communities in San Diego County, California

CaringScore for San Diego County, CA

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in San Diego was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose retirement communities in San Diego.

A CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 5.3, San Diego is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for San Diego. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for San Diego County, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Diego, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for San Diego is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 6.6, San Diego rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking retirement communities. At 243.9 physicians per capita, San Diego closely matches the national average. San Diego scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.6, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 20.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in San Diego is 80 years -- 2.7 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in San Diego -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 94.0 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of San Diego's environmental health -- is 36.4 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	San Diego County, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	243.9	220.5
Geriatricians	1.6	1.3
Cardiologists	7.2	7.7
Oncologists	3.1	3.5
Orthopedists	8.4	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for San Diego County, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Diego, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for retirement communities. The CostScore for San Diego is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 2.6, the costs associated with retirement communities in San Diego are generally more expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for San Diego. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of retirement communities in San Diego to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for San Diego indexes at 39.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 13.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 122.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	San Diego County, CA
Aggregate Index	139
Healthcare Index	113
Housing Index	222
Food Index	103
Utilities Index	111
Transportation Index	114

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for San Diego County, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Diego. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for San Diego is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 7, San Diego rates above average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 263 days each year in San Diego, 28.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 43°F in January, winters tend to be milder in San Diego than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 80°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in San Diego is 25.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $65,143 per year, the population of San Diego earns a better than average median household income. San Diego has an unemployment rate of 10.20 percent, roughly 12.1 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.40 percent of the population in San Diego is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 13.4 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	San Diego	Nat'l Avg
Parks	33.4	136.1
Libraries	2.9	18.8
Places of Worship	41.9	220.5
Public Transit	279	110.4
Grocery Stores	93.2	97.7
Pharmacies	9.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65