5 San Diego County cities where starter homes top $1 million

The big picture: A record 242 American cities are now faced with seven-figure prices for entry-level homes, per a new Zillow report.

• That's up from 226 last year, and 80 in February 2020.

State of play: The five $1 million-plus cities in the San Diego area as of April are:

• Rancho Santa Fe: $2,862,265
• Del Mar: $2,130,415
• Coronado: $1,694,135
• Solana Beach: $1,379,158
• Encinitas: $1,253,861

Rancho Santa Fe, where home values have nearly doubled since 2020, ranked in the top 20 nationally.

It's not just those high-end neighborhoods — nearly half of San Diego County houses are million-dollar listings.

Zoom out: Meanwhile, the typical starter home nationwide is $198,649, per Zillow.

• Unsurprisingly, California has the highest number of cities with million-dollar starter homes at 105, led by the San Francisco (37) and Los Angeles (33) metro areas.

Between the lines: Zillow defines a typical starter house as "a home in the lowest third of home values in a given region."

Did you struggle to find a starter home, or are you still struggling with that now? Email us at [email protected] to share your story.