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The cost of living in San Diego, California is 46% higher than the national average.
Housing, Utilities & Transportation
According to Payscale, San Diego's housing expenses are 110% higher than the national average and the utility prices are 50% higher than the national average. Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices are 41% higher than the national average.
As of August 2026:
Food & Grocery
San Diego has grocery prices that are 12% higher than the national average. The following are estimates based on the cost of living percentage in San Diego compared to the national average:
Quality of life construction is ongoing on MCAS Miramar:
Defense Service Network Dialing Instructions
The DSN is the provider of long-distance communications service for the Department of Defense. Every installation has a special DSN number and the numbers vary by world-wide location. In order to place a call using DSN, the caller must be using a military phone on an installation. Cell phones cannot dial DSN numbers. When dialing a DSN number from a United States installation to another United States installation, it is unnecessary to dial the DSN 267 area code. When dialing a DSN number to/from overseas locations, the DSN area code must be included. The operator can be reached at commercial 858-307-1011 or DSN 267-1011. Please note that long distance charges may be incurred.
The mission of MCAS Miramar is to maintain and operate Air Station facilities and property while providing services, material support, and training venues that promote combat readiness and support the missions of 3d Marine Aircraft Wing and other tenants aboard the installation. On order MCAS Miramar will act as a power projection platform to support Joint Force operations in the Indo-Pacific Command.
For more information on MCAS Miramar, visit https://www.miramar.marines.mil.
In 1846 during the Mexican-American War, a detachment of Marines from the second-class Sloop-of-War Cyane landed here to raise the American flag above the Plaza in what’s now called Old Town.
As a result of that war, the U.S. acquired San Diego and the rest of California (as well as Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, thus creating a nation “from sea to shining sea”).
At that time, today’s Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was part of an enormous rancho. Cattle grazed on the mesa now covered by runways.
In 1890, newspaper publisher Edward Scripps moved to San Diego County. He is credited with naming Miramar, which loosely translated from Spanish means “a view of the sea.” Scripps established a ranch on 2,000 acres in the Miramar area. Scripps Ranch adjoins present-day MCAS Miramar.
Although both the Navy and Army had established facilities on North Island in 1912, Miramar’s military roots were not planted until 1917, when the Army purchased the Miramar area and created Camp Kearny, named for Gen. Stephen Kearny, whose Army of the West had captured California during the Mexican-American War. The base cost $4.5 million, and was closed just three years later. Most of Camp Kearny’s soldiers lived in tents, as more than 65,000 men arrived by train from the San Diego docks on their way to World War I battlefields in Europe. After the war, the camp was used as a demobilization and convalescent center, and in 1920, it ceased to function as a military base. Miramar languished for 12 years.
The unused base was perfectly located for Charles Lindbergh, whose Spirit of St. Louis was built by Ryan Airlines Corp. in nearby San Diego. Lindbergh used the abandoned Camp Kearny (East Miramar) parade field to practice tricky landings and take-offs with the new plane, which had no forward-looking windshield. From San Diego, he took off for New York, Paris and international fame.
In the 1930s, the U.S. Navy put their faith in dirigibles. These large, helium-filled airships could patrol long distances along the coasts. The 785-foot-long airships USS Akron and USS Macon could launch and retrieve their five Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk pursuit aircraft in mid-air, like flying aircraft carriers. In 1932 a mooring mast and hangar were built at the camp for the dirigibles (it was claimed that the hangar was so huge that it had its own weather system!). When the Navy gave up the airship program, Kearny Mesa was quiet once again.
Miramar lay dormant for a few more years until the clouds of war again appeared on the U.S. horizon. By the time World War II had broken out in Europe, Miramar was already undergoing a “precautionary” renovation. Camp Holcomb (later renamed Camp Elliott) was built on part of old Camp Kearny, to be used for Marine artillery and machine gun training. Even before the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, the base contained more than 26,000 acres. Camp Elliott became home to Fleet Marine Force Training Center, West Coast and the 2nd Marine Division, charged with defending the California coast.
Runways were constructed in 1940, and the 1st Marine Air Wing arrived on Dec. 21 of that year (in August 1942 it would move to Guadalcanal). The Navy commissioned Naval Auxiliary Air Station Camp Kearny in February 1943, specifically to train crews for the Consolidated PB4Y Catalina, which was built less than 10 miles away in San Diego. A month later, the Marines established Marine Corps Air Depot Camp Kearny, later renamed Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar to avoid confusion with the Navy facility.
The big Catalinas proved too heavy for the asphalt runway the Army had installed in 1936 and the longer runways built in 1940, so the Navy added two concrete runways in 1943.
During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied Miramar. East Miramar (Camp Elliott) was used to train Marine artillery and armored personnel, while Navy and Marine Corps pilots trained on the western side. The bases were combined and designated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 1945.
In 1947, the Marines moved to El Toro in Orange County, and Miramar was redesignated as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1954, the Navy offered NAAS Miramar to San Diego for $1 (the offer was refused). Only the western half of Miramar’s facilities were put to use, and the old station literally began to deteriorate, with many buildings sold as scrap.
Miramar found new life as a Navy Master Jet Station in the 1950s, but really came into its own during the Vietnam War. The Navy needed a school to train pilots in dog-fighting and in fleet air defense. In 1969 the Top Gun school was established (and immortalized by the 1985 movie of the same name). In October 1972, Miramar welcomed the famed F-14 Tomcat. VF-124’s mission was to train Tomcat crews for aircraft carrier operations. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons, VF-1 and VF-2, trained here before deploying aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974. These squadrons flew “top cover” during the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.
In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Committee recommended closing the El Toro and Tustin air stations and moving the Marines to Miramar. Top Gun and the Navy’s F-14 Tomcat and E-3 Hawkeye squadrons were relocated and the base was once again redesignated as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Marines began arriving in August 1994, and by 1997 MCAS Miramar was fully operational. In 1999, El Toro and Tustin were closed.
MCAS Miramar now serves as home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, including MAG-11's fixed-wing F/A-18, F-35B and F-35C and KC-130 Hercules squadrons and MAG-16's, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters. The support command Marine Air Control Group 38 and the 3rd MAW Band are also located here. The 4th Marine Air Wing, an MV-22 Osprey squadron and H&HS Marine Flight Division's UC-12 and UC-35 squadrons are here at MCAS Miramar as well.
With a storied past behind it, MCAS Miramar is looking forward to a bright future as the West Coast’s home to Marine air power. For more information, please visit Miramar's homepage.
MCAS Miramar is home to the annual MCAS Miramar Air Show.
Mira Mesa has about 80,000 residents, including students, families, and single people. There are over 23,000 homes in the community, averaging 3.09 people per household. The median age is 34.8 years. According to the 2020 US Census, San Diego Greater Metropolitan Area has a population of 3,298,634 making it California's second-most populous county and the fifth-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is San Diego, the second-most populous city in California and the eighth-most populous city in the United States.
MCAS Miramar Population:
MCAS Miramar is located approximately 15 miles north of downtown San Diego, near I-15 and the town of Mira Mesa. The installation is close to the Navy ships that our Marines deploy on (Navy Base San Diego), the areas in which our aviation units train (MCAS Miramar), and the ground combat troops we support (Camp Pendleton). MCAS Miramar is strategically positioned approximately 40 miles south of Camp Pendleton, the Corps' largest amphibious assault training area. The Naval Air Station North Island, the largest aerospace industrial complex, is 20 miles south of Miramar.
If arriving by car from the West on I-8, take I-15 North to the Miramar Way exit and follow signs to the Main Gate. If you are arriving from the North on I-15, turn west on Miramar Road and go 1/2 mile. The North Gate is on your left at the next light after Black Mountain Road. Please note: the North Gate is open daily Monday through Friday (except for holidays) from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (subject to change)
If arriving from I-5 North take I-805 and then go east on Miramar Road and drive 4 miles to the North gate on the right of Miramar Road, after Camino Ruiz. Or, from I-5 North take 56 East exit to I-15 North , turn west on Miramar Road and go about 1/2 mile to North Gate.
San Diego, once reputed to be a sleepy little Navy town, is rapidly growing into an internationally recognized city with a technologically dynamic economy making it the nation's sixth largest city. With its great weather, miles of sandy beaches, and major attractions, it is known worldwide as one of the best tourist destinations. San Diego is considered a high-cost area. The base operator's phone number is 858-307-1011. To view a Welcome Aboard video visit their website at www.miramar.marines.mil/Arriving/Welcome-Aboard-Video/.
San Diego's main airport is San Diego International Airport, located downtown near San Diego Bay and Harbor. The second busiest single-runway commercial airport in the country with about 600 flights a day, the Airport is served by 21 commercial airlines, three terminals, state-of-the-art facilities and free terminal-to-terminal transportation. San Diego is also served by two municipal airports and eight general aviation airports operated by the County of San Diego.
USO Neil Ash Airport https://sandiego.uso.org/neil-ash-airport.
This center is reserved for Active and Reserve Service Members and their dependents who are in transit at the airport. Retirees with appropriate DOD ID card will be allowed in on a space available basis at the discretion of the Staff on duty. Overnight requests are not available at this time.
Transportation from the Airport to MCAS Miramar is available through their shuttle service for $21.00. This reduced rate is available only at USO Center and applies to all active duty members and families, retired personnel, and DOD civilian.
Upon arrival at MCAS front gate when driving a rental car, ensure rental agreement is readily available. All military personnel needing to check in, proceed to the JRC (Joint Reception Center) bldg. 2258 between 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. If arriving after 4 p.m., and needing to check-in, then proceed to the Headquarters Building (bldg. 8630) and check in with the Command Duty Officer. The CDO can be reached at 858-307-1141.
If you have a reservation at the Inns of the Corps - Miramar, proceed to building 2515 located on Bauer Road or contact the Inn for assistance at 858-271-7111.
From Los Angeles International Airport
From San Diego International Airport
When using any driving directions or map, it's a good idea to do a check and make sure the road still exists, watch out for construction, and follow all traffic safety precautions. This is only to be used as an aid in planning.
There are Uber/Lyft pickup/drop-off locations aboard the installation. All drivers must have Defense Biometric Identification System access to enter the base.
Miramar Road has a bus line and the closest bus stop is near the Shell Station on Miramar Road and Camino Ruiz - approximately 1 block outside the north gate. Please note: the North Gate is only open Monday through Friday (including holidays) from 6 a.m. to to 10 p.m. (subject to change)
To reach the base operator, dial 858-307-1011.