Can SDSU students afford San Diego life?
By: Makayla Sims
April 27, 2026
Story highlights
- “Housing should be better thought out for students,” says second-year student Peter Morose, “especially with how much we pay.”
- SDSU’s Cost of attendance has gone up roughly $10,000 for in-state students in the past 10 years.
- “I think it is super important to be backed up by and supported by the institution that you are giving so much money to,” Kyle Sobrenas, a second-year student at SDSU, says about support offered by the school for struggling students.
SAN DIEGO – San Diego, known as “the finest city,” has attracted residents and tourists alike for decades. Yet in the last five years, San Diego has seen a rise in the cost of living, which has drastically affected the price residents are paying to survive in this city. SDSU students are no exception.
San Diego continues to rank as one of the most expensive cities to live in in the U.S. In 2024, San Diego ranked as the #1 most expensive city, according to the U.S. News and World Report. But what does that breakdown actually look like?
Last year, San Diego continually tied with New York City for the highest inflation rates in the country at 4%, as reported by the U.S. Consumer Price Index. When the cost of basic necessities in an area goes up, the rest of the cost of living tends to go up as well.
“I think the cost of San Diego is just insane,” Niko Padilla, a senior from SDSU, says “Rent prices are insane. When I first leased in the spring, my rent was $1,525. This is the highest I’ve ever had to pay for rent.”
Oftentimes, landlords require that tenants have incomes that are 2 ½ to three times what the rent actually costs.
While there have been many reports of rental market trends going downwards, meaning that it costs less to rent than the year prior, these reports can be misleading. While San Diego’s rent prices have fluctuated by one digit percentages, renting costs have increased in the long run, about 53% from 2018 to 2025.
As of January 2026, The U.S. Energy Information Administration found that on average Americans pay about 17 cents per kilowatt. Compared to the 52 cents per kilowatt that SDG&E charges their customers (PDF), this means that San Diegans pay three times the national average for electricity.
In addition, San Diegans can pay anywhere from twice to four times the national average for water. Typically, Americans pay about $40 a month for their water bill according to the World Population Review. In San Diego, however, the average single-family residential building pays far more. The City of San Diego released a report that most households use 14 hundred cubic feet of water a month, one of which is equivalent to 748 gallons of water. They have also published data that says most buildings use a ¾ inch water meter. This puts the average San Diegans water bill at $170.75 a month, according to the Public Utilities Department.
These prices are a direct result of the water rate increases that have been put in place over the past year. In January of last year, the city of San Diego raised water rates by 8.7% and the county by 5.5%. On Oct. 28, 2026, the city also passed a water rate increase of a cumulative 31.3% over the next two years.
This has affected people across the country, especially students who go to SDSU.
The steep price of higher education
The CSU system is now in a $2.3 billion structural deficit, which has led to the cutting of more than 1,200 staff positions and cost of attendance increases in attempts to bridge the gap. The university system is unable to go to the state for support due to California’s own budget deficit, instead passing these expenses onto students and their families.
As a result of higher prices for necessities, SDSU has increased its costs. In 2024, the university implemented a 6% tuition increase over five years that was passed by the California State University system’s Board of Trustees. This increase covers academic and student support services, infrastructure costs and required operational costs of different programs.
This past year, SDSU increased the school’s Instructionally Related Activities fee. From 2026-2028, students will have to pay $60 more a semester, $90 for the 2028-2029 academic year and $120 a semester for the 2029-2030 school year. This fee was predominantly passed to provide a stable source of funding for athletics including supporting student-athletes, maintaining facilities, student athlete well-being and enhancing overall student experience. This charge is required of all students, regardless if they play or watch sports.
In addition, the parking rates at SDSU have gone up 6% in the 2024-2025 school year according to a Transportation Update from the administration.
When students are commuters, they not only have to pay the increased cost of attendance but the cost of living in San Diego as well.
Work and school and work some more
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 40% of full-time undergraduate students are employed at full time jobs, and 74% are employed at part time jobs.
Even though students are working while going to school, many say that it is a difficult way to sustain themselves or their future.
“I work two jobs right now, both are part-time. And working part-time as a full time student definitely doesn’t pay enough money to really get by,” says fourth-year student Charlotte Tolerton. She’s graduating in May. “If you’re trying to put money into your savings, it won’t be a lot.”
Tolerton says she’s seen the cost of living go up in San Diego in her past four years here.
Across the nation, groceries cost anywhere from 20% to 40% more than they did before the pandemic. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices have risen 1.3% from January to March, and 3.2% in the last year.
“Things at Trader Joe’s that used to be $4 are now $6,” she says. “It isn’t a lot if you buy one or two things, but it adds up.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also states that energy prices have risen 13.2% from January to March. Gas prices have risen 24.3% during the same time period, making commuting to work or school costly.
SDSU’s cost of attendance, 2016 to 2026
San Diego State University’s cost of attendance has steadily risen over the past 10 years. Students who live on campus typically pay more for cost of attendance compared to those that live off-campus based on this reporters’ analysis of the price for the cost of CSU tuition, campus fees, books, supplies, food, housing, transportation and other miscellaneous needs for the past 10 years.
In 2016-2017, in-state students that lived on campus paid $26,594 and off-campus paid $24,248, out-of-state students that lived on campus paid $37,754, off-campus paid $35,408.
Now, in 2025-2026, in-state students that lived on campus paid $37,324 and off-campus paid $34,002, out-of-state students that lived on campus paid $53,644, and off-campus paid $50,332.
International students or students that are from out-of-state pay about $12,000 more than in-state students a year. This data is based on data released by SDSU’s Cost of Attendance Tables , as well as data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
University offer different forms of support
Currently, the university offers a number of student support services, including the Economic Crisis Response Team, the food pantry on campus, and the Basic Needs Center to help students through any struggles they may be going through.
“The food pantry on campus is an amazing resource that exists for students,” says Aliza Siddiqui, the Vice-President of Financial Affairs for Associated Students.
The pantry is stocked with fresh-produce and non-perishable pantry staples that can help students meet their day to day needs. There is no limit on the amount of food a student can receive, all that is needed is their student ID.
Siddiqui also acknowledges that there has been an uptick in people using this resource in the last year, which she partially attributes to the cost of living on the rise.
“Since the last academic school year we have seen a 21% increase in visits to the food pantry,” Siddiqui says. “And, as of April of 2026, there are 209 unique shoppers that visit the pantry three or more times a week.”