All tools / Turnover costs / San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Apartment turnover cost in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
A typical 2-bedroom apartment turnover in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad runs about $1,268–$4,099 (expected $2,155). That is 10% above the national figure of $1,960.
Estimate your unitAdd your own findings and square footage. Free, no sign-in.
- Same scenario, nationally
- $1,960
- California median
- $2,189
- Data
- BLS OEWS May 2025
What a turnover costs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, by unit size
Expected cost of a make-ready turn for five common unit types, under three move-out conditions. The typical column also shows the likely range.
| Unit | Light | Typical | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio1 bath | $865 | $1,538$857 to $3,071 | $4,140 |
| 1 bedroom1 bath | $865 | $1,779$1,031 to $3,484 | $5,306 |
| 2 bedroom1 bath | $926 | $2,155$1,268 to $4,099 | $6,638 |
| 3 bedroom2 bath | $1,049 | $2,685$1,602 to $5,029 | $8,286 |
| 3 bedroom house2 bath | $1,101 | $3,052$1,858 to $5,701 | $9,625 |
- LightMove-out in good shape: a few nail holes and scuffs, a dirty range and refrigerator, one bent blind.
- TypicalA full repaint, spot-treated carpet stains, a hole in an interior door, bent blinds, torn screens, dirty grout, range and refrigerator.
- HeavyPet-damaged carpet replaced, many wall holes and a full repaint, heavy-soil cleaning, odor treatment, a trash-out, a replaced door, missing keys and damaged cabinet doors (plus yard debris for the house).
Every scenario also carries the standard turn baseline: cleaning by bedroom and bathroom, HVAC filter, alarm test, bulbs, rekeying the exterior locks, a pest inspection and the final punch walk. Standard profile, property-manager vendor pricing, built in 2005, typical unit sizes assumed.
Local labor by trade
Labor is mixed in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: 1 trades cost less than the national median and 12 cost more. The widest gap is hvac, 23% above the national median.
Cheaper than national
- Appliance repair11% below
Pricier than national
- HVAC23% above
- Electrical21% above
- Yard and landscaping16% above
Index is the local median hourly wage divided by the national median for the same occupations. Only the labor share of each price is scaled; materials are not.
| Trade | Index | Versus national median |
|---|---|---|
| HVACservice visits | 1.23 | 23% above |
| Drywalldrywall visit charges | 1.21 | 21% above * |
| Electricallicensed electrical work | 1.21 | 21% above |
| Yard and landscapingmowing and yard cleanup | 1.16 | 16% above |
| Plumbinglicensed plumbing work | 1.14 | 14% above |
| Window glassglass replacement | 1.14 | 14% above |
| Paintingrepaints and touch-up | 1.13 | 13% above |
| Cleaningturn cleans and carpet cleaning | 1.12 | 12% above |
| Locksmithrekeying and keys | 1.12 | 12% above |
| Handyman and maintenancesmall repairs, blinds, alarms, final walk | 1.10 | 10% above |
| Hauling and trash-outtrash-out and bulky items | 1.08 | 8% above |
| Flooringcarpet and plank installation | 1.07 | 7% above |
| Pest controlinspection and treatment | 1.05 | 5% above |
| Appliance repairappliance repair and install | 0.89 | 11% below |
* Does not scale any task price. It only sets the visit minimum, so it is left out of the comparisons above.
Unit prices for common make-ready tasks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
What one unit of each task costs here, before any vendor visit minimum. Materials are included.
| Task | Low | Expected | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repaint all wallsper floor sq ft | $0.61 | $0.94 | $1.55 |
| Carpet replacement with padper sq ft | $2.32 | $3.35 | $5.16 |
| Standard turn clean, kitchen and living areasper unit | $61.27 | $89.12 | $133.68 |
| Rekey a lock cylinderper cylinder | $16.80 | $28.00 | $50.40 |
| Trash-out and haul-awayper cu yd | $32.40 | $43.20 | $64.80 |
| Drywall patch, doorknob-size holeeach | $66.00 | $121.00 | $220.00 |
| Replace window blindseach | $17.85 | $37.80 | $99.75 |
| Replace a smoke alarmeach | $22.36 | $36.95 | $86.99 |
| Replace an HVAC filtereach | $10.78 | $21.23 | $45.93 |
How San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad compares
It ranks 17th of 28 areas in California by cost (1 is the most expensive). A typical 2-bedroom turn there ranges from $1,878 in Visalia to $2,425 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, with a median of $2,189. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad is 2% below it. Nationally the same scenario comes to $1,960.
| Area | Typical 2 bedroom | Versus national |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $2,425 | +24% |
| 11 more areas not shown | ||
| Yuba City | $2,200 | +12% |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of Californianonmetropolitan area | $2,197 | +12% |
| Merced | $2,182 | +11% |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $2,157 | +10% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $2,155 | +10% |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $2,143 | +9% |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $2,127 | +9% |
| El Centro | $2,113 | +8% |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $2,107 | +8% |
| 6 more areas not shown | ||
| Visalia | $1,878 | -4% |
| National figure | $1,960 | baseline |
Typical 2-bedroom turn, expected cost. Areas are ordered from most to least expensive within the state.
Notes for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
- Older buildings. Rental units built before 1978 need lead-safe work practices when paint is disturbed (EPA RRP). For the typical 2-bedroom scenario that adds about $1,243 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, taking the expected total from $2,155 to $3,398. Enter the year built in the estimator to include it.
- ZIP codes. The estimator maps ZIP prefixes 919xx, 920xx, 921xx to this area. ZIP lookup works at the 3-digit level, so a ZIP at the edge of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad may be priced at a neighbouring area.
- Price level. Figures assume a property manager buying turns from local vendors (the estimator's default). A one-off owner hiring a single contractor typically pays more; a portfolio contract pays less.
Method and data
Every figure was computed by the same engine behind the free estimator and the API (ruleset pt-2026.10.3). National unit prices from published cost guides and bids are scaled by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage index for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area (OEWS May 2025). These are estimate ranges for budgeting, not quotes (read the disclaimer). How the estimate works.
We keep an anonymized record of estimates (ZIP3, unit size, findings and totals; never your notes, address, IP or contact details) to improve accuracy.
Estimate your unitAdd your own findings and square footage. Free, no sign-in.