Del Cerro at a glance
- Where: eastern City of San Diego, next to SDSU and Lake Murray, in City Council District 7.
- Planning area: the Navajo Community Plan, adopted March 11, 2025, covering about 14 square miles and the neighborhoods of Grantville, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro and San Carlos (City of San Diego).
- Built: developed as a suburb in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
- ZIP code: 92120, shared with neighboring Navajo-area streets. See the 92120 ZIP data page.
- Typical home value: $1,331,550 in September 2026 (Zillow neighborhood index), up 94.1% in 10 years.
- ZIP 92120 Census figures: median household income $120,661, 65.0% of occupied homes owner-occupied, median rent $2,457 (ACS 2020-2024).
Is Del Cerro a good area to live?
Whether it fits your plans is your call, so here are the facts. Del Cerro is almost entirely detached houses on hillside lots, with a small shopping strip on Del Cerro Boulevard. Lake Murray and the western end of Mission Trails Regional Park are next door, and SDSU is just south. Values are at a record, and Zillow puts them up 29.5% in five years.
Two checks matter more here than in flatter areas. The canyons and hillsides make wildfire part of the picture, so look up each address on the fire map. And crime figures should come from official sources with the method explained; our guide to official California crime data lists them.
What Del Cerro is known for
Del Cerro means "of the hill", and the streets follow the slopes above Interstate 8 and Mission Gorge. Hillside lots can face the San Diego River valley or Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park. The Navajo plan names the San Diego River, Murray Reservoir, Cowles Mountain and the Mission Gorge area of Mission Trails as the area's defining natural features.
Its other identity is as SDSU's neighbor. A long dispute over campus expansion into the Adobe Falls area of Del Cerro went to court; CSU trustees endorsed faculty and staff housing there in 2007. If you are looking at streets near the campus edge, ask the university and the City for the current status of any plans.
Del Cerro homes and prices
Redfin's figures cover all of ZIP 92120, three months to September 2026. They include Allied Gardens, San Carlos and Grantville, which have a different mix of homes, so Zillow's Del Cerro-only figure of $1,331,550 is the closer guide to the neighborhood itself.
| Home type (ZIP 92120) | Median sale price | Change in a year | Sales | Months of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $1,177,203 | +0.2% | 60 | 2.2 |
| Townhouse | $770,001 | +11.6% | 5 | 2.5 |
| Condo | $437,237 | -17.9% | 14 | 6.2 |
Single-family homes in Del Cerro
Detached houses from the 1950s to 1970s make up most of the stock. Across 92120, detached homes went under contract in a median 23 days at $691 per square foot. Original houses often need updates to electrical panels, sewer laterals and windows, so a sewer camera inspection is money well spent.
View lots in Del Cerro
Canyon-edge and view lots can trade above the area median, but they also carry slope, drainage and brush-clearance questions. Ask for any geotechnical reports and permits for retaining walls.
Condos and townhouses near Del Cerro
Attached homes are rare inside Del Cerro. Most of the 92120 condo and townhouse sales are in nearby Navajo-area complexes, where condo supply reached 6.2 months, a buyer's market by the usual rule.
Living in Del Cerro
Shops and dining around Del Cerro Boulevard
The Del Cerro Boulevard center has a grocery market, a gas station, a restaurant, a fitness studio and small offices. Larger shopping is in Grantville, the College Area and Mission Valley.
Parks, Lake Murray and Mission Trails
Lake Murray borders Del Cerro, and its playground was rebuilt in 2012 with more than $200,000 raised by volunteers. The western end of Mission Trails Regional Park, which takes in Cowles Mountain and the Mission Gorge area, lies within the community.
Schools lookup for Del Cerro addresses
Del Cerro is in San Diego Unified School District, and Phoebe A. Hearst Elementary is on Del Cerro Boulevard. Assignments are by address, so enter yours in the San Diego Unified School Finder and compare schools on the California School Dashboard.
Getting around Del Cerro
Interstate 8 runs along the south side and connects west to Mission Valley and Downtown. The Green Line trolley stops at Grantville and the underground SDSU station, both close by, and runs west through Mission Valley to Old Town and Downtown.
Costs of owning in Del Cerro
Property tax in Del Cerro
Prop 13 sets the base at 1% of the price, plus voter-approved bonds. On Zillow's typical value of $1,331,550, the base is about $13,316 a year. Long-time owners pay much less, which is why a neighbor's bill is no guide to yours. See the San Diego County property tax guide.
HOA and Mello-Roos in Del Cerro
Most Del Cerro houses predate Mello-Roos districts and have no HOA, but a few streets and newer infill homes do. Confirm with the title report and the tax bill rather than assuming.
Wildfire zone and insurance in Del Cerro
Hillside streets backing onto open space have a history of brush-clearing disputes with the City. The City updated its fire hazard severity zone map by Ordinance 21992 in 2025, and permit applications complete after August 30, 2025 follow the new map. Check the address on the City's fire zone map and get insurance quotes in your first week of escrow. Our FAIR Plan guide covers the fallback if carriers decline.
Pros and cons of Del Cerro
Pro: Open space on two sides
Lake Murray and Mission Trails Regional Park border the neighborhood.
Pro: Detached homes below coastal prices
At $1,331,550, the typical Del Cerro home costs about 45% less than the typical La Jolla home ($2,426,826, Zillow, September 2026).
Pro: Freeway and trolley access
I-8 and two Green Line stations put Mission Valley and Downtown within reach without crossing the whole city.
Con: Older houses need work
Homes built in the 1950s to 1970s often need system upgrades that buyers should budget for.
Con: Wildfire and insurance exposure
Canyon-edge lots can face higher premiums, brush-clearance duties and stricter building rules.
Con: SDSU's growth next door
Streets near campus see student traffic and university planning decisions, so ask about any current plans.
For street-by-street advice, talk to our featured local agent for Del Cerro.