How San Diego's 7.75% rate is built
The lowest combined rate of any large California city — only about 0.50% of district tax (TransNet) above the 7.25% statewide base. Groceries are exempt.
What you pay in San Diego — worked examples
| Purchase | Tax at 7.75% | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | $1.94 | $26.94 |
| $100 | $7.75 | $107.75 |
| $500 | $38.75 | $538.75 |
| $1,000 | $77.50 | $1077.50 |
| $10,000 | $775.00 | $10775.00 |
San Diego vs the California average
The average combined rate across California is about 8.85%, so San Diego at 7.75% is below the state norm by roughly 1.1 percentage points. On a $30,000 car (where vehicle tax rules allow the general rate), that gap alone is about $330 — one reason big purchases are planned around exact addresses, not state averages.
San Diego vs other California cities
Combined rates for the California cities we track, highest first. The spread inside one state is set entirely by local layers — the state base rate of 7.25% is the same in every row.
| City | Combined rate | Tax on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 9.5% | $95.00 |
| San Jose | 9.375% | $93.75 |
| San Francisco | 8.625% | $86.25 |
| San Diego (this page) | 7.75% | $77.50 |
| California statewide average | 8.85% | $88.50 |
What this means in San Diego
The rate bites hardest on large, planned purchases. At 7.75%, a $10,000 purchase carries $775.00 of tax — $110.00 less than the same purchase at the California average rate of 8.85%, and $114.00 more than at the all-state average of 6.61%. On everyday spending the difference is cents; on vehicles, appliances and furniture it decides where people choose to buy.
Day-to-day, the grocery exemption keeps the weekly food shop outside this rate in California — the 7.75% applies to general merchandise, electronics and prepared food. Budget the rate into non-food spending, not the food bill.
Calculate with your exact rate
District boundaries inside San Diego can shift the rate street by street. For an exact figure — or to extract tax from a tax-inclusive total — use the full calculator with your precise local rate: