Parking near San Diego International (SAN)
San Diego International (SAN) boards about 12 million passengers a year, based on rounded FAA figures, ranking 5th of the 50 airports Wins Parking tracks. We estimate 12 off-airport lots compete near SAN at roughly $27 a day, which puts a paved acre within 10 miles at about $460,721 in gross revenue a year.
Written by John Davis, Content WriterOwn land within 10 miles of SAN?
Landowners, investors and developers near San Diego International: send your parcel and we will return a written feasibility with a SAN-specific revenue model, paving budget and lease or revenue-share options.
Where does off-airport parking near SAN cluster?
Mostly along the I-5 corridor feeding San Diego International. The strongest sites sit within 10 miles of the terminal with visibility and permittable curb cuts.
Last updated September 2026. Enplanements are rounded FAA passenger-boarding figures. On-airport acreage, daily rates, competitor counts and revenue per acre are Wins Parking estimates, confirmed only in a site-specific feasibility.
How busy is SAN compared with other West Coast airports?
SAN is the 2nd-busiest of the 6 West Coast airports on this list, with about 12 million annual enplanements, or roughly 20% of the boardings across those 6 airports. It operates 1 runway and is run by San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
| Airport | City | Annual enplanements (FAA, rounded) | Est. daily rate | Est. off-airport lots | Est. gross per acre / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN (this page) | San Diego, CA | 12,000,000 | $27 | 12 | $460,721 |
| PDX | Portland, OR | 8,500,000 | $17 | 9 | $290,084 |
| SMF | Sacramento, CA | 5,800,000 | $18 | 7 | $307,148 |
| OAK | Oakland, CA | 5,400,000 | $19 | 9 | $324,211 |
| GEG | Spokane, WA | 1,900,000 | $13 | 4 | $221,829 |
| SEA | Seattle, WA | 25,000,000 | $24 | 15 | $409,530 |
Enplanements: FAA passenger boarding data, rounded. Daily rates, lot counts and revenue per acre are Wins Parking planning estimates (85 spaces per acre, 55% blended occupancy).
Passenger volume sets the size of the parking market, but it is not the whole story. The table compares SAN with nearby West Coast airports on the measures a landowner should weigh: boardings, the typical daily rate and how many off-airport lots already compete for those travelers.
What kind of travelers park at SAN?
SAN carries a mix of business and leisure travelers, so demand near San Diego has two peaks: weekday business trips and school-holiday leisure travel. That mix keeps off-airport occupancy steadier than at a pure resort or pure business airport.
A mixed market lets an off-airport lot near SAN sell two products from the same asphalt: a lower long-stay rate for vacation travelers and a faster, higher-priced option for weekday business travelers.
Wins Parking's read on the SAN market: Single-runway top-30 airport with the tightest on-airport supply in California.
How much could an acre near SAN earn as parking?
About $460,721 a year in gross revenue per paved acre, as a planning estimate. The math is 85 spaces per acre × $27 average daily rate × 55% blended occupancy × 365 days. That is about 46% above the West Coast median of $315,680 per acre on this list.
The $27 rate is about 80% above the $15 median across all 50 airports we track. At that rate, a 3-acre lot near SAN models to about $1,382,163 gross and a 10-acre lot to about $4,607,210, before shuttle, labor, insurance, technology and property tax. Operating costs usually take 35–50% of gross, so the owner's share depends on the deal structure.
How crowded is the off-airport parking market near SAN?
We estimate 12 active off-airport operators near SAN, or about 1,000,000 annual boardings per lot. The West Coast median on this list is about 886,508, so SAN has more travelers per competing lot than most peers, a sign of room for new supply.
Most off-airport traffic near San Diego arrives via I-5. Parcels with direct visibility from that corridor and a drive of under 10 minutes to the terminal curb are the strongest candidates. Competitor counts are estimates from listings and site visits and change as lots open and close.
What would it cost to pave a parking lot near SAN?
In California, Wins Parking's planning estimate for asphalt is $3.96–$9.24 per square foot, or about $172,498–$402,494 to pave one acre before design and permitting. Against $460,721 of modeled gross revenue per acre, the paving outlay equals roughly 4–10 months of gross revenue.
A gravel overflow lot costs far less up front ($0.66–$3.30 per square foot in California) but needs annual regrading and does not meet ADA rules for accessible stalls, so it usually serves as phase-one or peak-season overflow near SAN rather than the main product.
Who controls on-airport parking at SAN?
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority controls the on-airport garages and surface lots at San Diego International. We estimate about 200 acres of on-airport parking, or roughly 60,000 annual boardings per on-airport acre. The higher that ratio, the more often official lots sell out on peak days and push travelers to private lots.
On-airport parking management contracts at SAN are awarded through San Diego County Regional Airport Authority procurements. Wins Parking responds to those solicitations for parking management, shuttle and revenue control, and separately partners with private landowners off airport property.
Which other West Coast airport parking markets should owners compare?
Owners weighing a parcel near SAN often compare it with other West Coast airports, where boardings, daily rates and competition differ. Each airport page carries its own revenue model and a written feasibility offer for land within 10 miles of the terminal.
What sources back these figures?
Public sources for the facts on this page are listed below. Anything not backed by a listed source is labeled as a Wins Parking estimate.
- Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports — Federal Aviation Administration. Supports: SAN annual enplanements (rounded).
- Airport data for SAN — FAA Airport Data and Information Portal. Supports: runways and airport facilities.
- San Diego International official website — San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. Supports: on-airport parking products and procurement.
- California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) — State of California. Supports: I-5 corridor and access permits.
- National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) — Federal Highway Administration. Supports: construction cost trend behind paving estimates.
Wins Parking is headquartered in Edwards, Colorado, in the Vail Valley, and works with airport-area landowners nationwide. Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is one of our longest-running airport operations.
What do landowners near SAN ask most?
Planning-grade revenue runs about $460,721/acre/year at SAN, based on an estimated $27/day average rate, about 85 paved spaces per acre and about 55% blended occupancy. These are estimates; binding numbers come from a site survey.
Wins Parking pursues on-airport and off-airport opportunities at San Diego International and partners with property owners within 10 miles of the terminal.
Paved or pavable lots of 1–20 acres within 10 miles of the terminal, with visibility from I-5 and permittable curb cuts, are the strongest candidates.
A Wins Parking partner reviews the submission within one business day, runs a desktop feasibility, and follows up with a written proposal.
Yes. Wins Parking responds to San Diego County Regional Airport Authority RFPs and competitive procurements for on-airport parking management, shuttle, and revenue control.
About 12,000,000 passengers board at San Diego International each year, based on rounded FAA passenger-boarding data. That ranks SAN 2nd among the 6 West Coast airports Wins Parking tracks.
SAN is classed as a mixed market, so demand is steadier than at resort airports, with peaks around holidays and school vacations.
Most successful off-airport lots sit within a 10-minute shuttle ride of the terminal. Near San Diego, parcels along I-5 with a clear route to the terminal curb can work at longer distances if the daily rate undercuts on-airport parking.
Ready to talk about land near SAN?
Send the form above or call (970) 279-1744. Written reply within one business day. Figures on this page are planning estimates.
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Wins Parking is a privately owned and operated parking facility and is not owned, operated, endorsed by, or affiliated with Eagle County Government or the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE).