Loan Limits / California / San Diego County
2026 Loan Limits · California · SAN DIEGO-CHULA VISTA-CARLSBAD, CA
San Diego County, CA.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $960,000. This county is designated high-cost — conforming limits exceed the national baseline.
Median Sales Price
$960,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$1,104,000
High-cost
FHA 1u Limit
$1,104,000
Mid-tier
Jumbo Threshold
> $1,104,000
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
High-cost| 1-unit (single-family) | $1,104,000 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,413,350 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,708,400 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $2,123,100 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Mid-tier| 1-unit (single-family) | $1,104,000 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,413,350 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,708,400 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $2,123,100 |
About this county
About San Diego County
San Diego County, officially the County of San Diego, is located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous county in California 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 in the United States. It is the southwesternmost county in the 48 contiguous United States, and is a border county. It is home to 18 Indian reservations, the most of any county in the United States. There are 16 military installations of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in the county. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
3,282,782
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$102,285
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$791,600
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
55%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in San Diego County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for San Diego County is $1,104,000. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. Because San Diego County is designated a high-cost area, the limit exceeds the national baseline of $832,750.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $1,104,000. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for San Diego County at $960,000. San Diego County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in San Diego County ($960,000) is below both limits — FHA, conventional, and VA financing all cover median-priced purchases here. Choice between programs comes down to credit, down payment, and overlay differences.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
San Diego County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,413,350, $1,708,400, and $2,123,100 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in San Diego County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.