San Diego's beaches are free, so the trip looks easy to budget. Hotel taxes, zoo tickets, parking at Balboa Park and getting around between neighborhoods are what add up.
Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours.
Compare hotels in San Diego →For 4 nights with flights, a hotel and food, plan on about $2,450. Once you add the costs most visitors forget, like hotel taxes, zoo tickets, rideshares and the airport ride, it's closer to $3,500. Use the calculator above to change any number to match your trip.
Winter is usually cheapest. KAYAK's hotel data shows January as the cheapest month for San Diego hotels and July as the most expensive. Summer weekends and big conventions push rates up. Source
Not always. Downtown, the Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy and Old Town are close together, and the trolley and rideshares cover most trips. A car helps for La Jolla and beach hopping, but it adds hotel parking, and Balboa Park lots now charge visitors $10 to $16 a day. Source
The airport is close to downtown. MTS Route 992 runs from both terminals to Santa Fe Depot for $3, and the free San Diego Flyer shuttle goes to the Old Town Transit Center. Rideshares are also a short ride. Source
San Diego raised its hotel tax in May 2025. The city tax is now 11.75% to 13.75%, depending on how close the hotel is to the Convention Center, and a tourism fee of up to 2% is added on top. Expect about 12% to 16% in total. Source