What a Concrete Job Really Costs in San Diego
We priced a San Diego concrete job from public numbers, not guesses. Here is what the concrete, the steel, the dump run, the labor and the city permit cost, and where each number came from.
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Why We Show the Math
Most cost pages give you one national number. San Diego is not the national average. So we went to the source for each piece of the bill.
We used a City of San Diego supply contract, Home Depot shelf prices in town, the Miramar Landfill fee sheet, federal wage data and two public price lists. Every number links to where it came from. We checked them all on October 31, 2026.
These are not our prices and they are not a quote. Your job gets a written estimate after we see it.
The Concrete Itself
The City of San Diego buys its ready mix from Pedroza Ready Mix under contract 10090052-24-C, awarded October 24, 2024. The price sheet lists $205.50 a cubic yard for the 3,250 psi mix the city calls 560-C-3250. It lists $212.50 a yard for 4,000 psi with 1 inch rock. Color mixed in the truck is $30 more per yard.
That is what a big buyer pays for tens of thousands of yards. A one time order for one driveway costs more. Treat it as the floor. When you call a plant, ask for the price per yard, the short load charge and the fee for a Saturday pour.
Bags are the other way. At the Mission Valley Home Depot, a 90 lb bag of Quikrete concrete mix was $6.87 on October 31, 2026. The Quikrete data sheet says a 90 lb bag makes about 0.675 cubic feet. So it takes 40 bags to make one cubic yard. That is $274.80 a yard before you mix a single bag. Bags make sense for a post, a step or a patch. A driveway needs a truck.
Steel, Base and Forms
These are Mission Valley Home Depot prices from October 31, 2026. We checked the same bag and bar at the San Marcos store and got the same price.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| #4 rebar, 1/2 in by 10 ft | $6.32 |
| #4 rebar, each when you buy 50 or more | $5.37 |
| Remesh sheet, 42 in by 84 in | $21.67 |
| Rebar tie wire, 400 ft | $13.37 |
| 2x4 by 8 ft board for forms | $3.95 |
| 24 in grade stakes, 12 pack | $12.98 |
| Quikrete all purpose gravel, 50 lb | $5.37 |
Base rock for a full driveway comes by the ton from a rock yard, not in bags. The public price lists further down show what agencies figure for a 4 inch base.
Color, Stamp and Seal
Color in the truck adds $30 a yard on the city contract. A 10 oz bottle of Quikrete liquid cement color is $9.97 for small batches. A gallon of clear sealer runs $28.98 to $39.98 at the same store.
Stamping costs more in labor than in material. The County lists stamped concrete at $7.12 a sq ft. Carlsbad lists it at $15.10. Both are in the table below.
Tear Out and the Dump Run
Old concrete is heavy. The FHWA uses 145 pounds per cubic foot for normal concrete. A 400 sq ft driveway that is 4 inches thick holds about 133 cubic feet. That is close to 9.7 tons.
The Miramar Landfill counts concrete as construction and demolition debris. Its fee sheet from July 1, 2026 charges $241 a ton for city waste on a weighed load. At that rate the old driveway costs about $2,330 just to landfill. A car, pickup or small trailer under one ton pays a flat $108.
Recycling is the better path for clean broken concrete. The city list of certified C&D recycling facilities, updated October 2026, includes EDCO Recovery and Transfer on Dalbergia Street and the Republic Services Otay C&D and Inert Debris site. Call ahead for the rate and what they take. Jobs that need a building or demolition permit also fall under the city C&D recycling rules.
Labor in San Diego
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports May 2025 pay for the San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad area. Cement masons and concrete finishers average $35.73 an hour. The median is $31.98. Construction laborers average $29.08.
One 8 hour day of wages for a mason and two laborers at the average is $751.12. That is wages only. A contractor also pays payroll tax, insurance, trucks, tools, the yard and the office. That is why a bid runs well above the wage math.
What Public Agencies Budget per Square Foot
Two local agencies publish unit prices to size bonds for street work. They are installed prices, with labor and material. They are not bids. They do show a real local range. The County list is from July 2024. The Carlsbad list is for FY24-25.
| Item | County | Carlsbad |
|---|---|---|
| 4 inch concrete walk | $7.84 | $14.64 |
| Remove old walk | $2.14 | $3.68 |
| Driveway approach | $9.99 | $21.14 |
| Stamped concrete | $7.12 | $15.10 |
| 4 inch class II base | $1.00 | $3.07 |
Three Jobs, Priced From These Numbers
Here is what three common jobs come to with those unit prices. Low uses the County list. High uses the Carlsbad list.
| Job | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a 400 sq ft driveway slab, 20 by 20 ft, 4 in thick | $3,992 | $7,328 |
| New 200 sq ft patio, 10 by 20 ft, 4 in thick | $1,568 | $2,928 |
| Replace a 4 by 50 ft walkway | $1,996 | $3,664 |
How we got it. The driveway is removal plus a new 4 inch slab, times 400 sq ft. The patio is a new 4 inch slab times 200 sq ft. The walkway is removal plus new, times 200 sq ft. If the soil needs a base course, add $200 to $614 for 200 sq ft.
Then add the city permit when the job needs one. A slab on your lot at 30 inches or less above grade is exempt from a building permit. A new approach at the curb is not. Under IB-502, a city standard approach runs $3,415.87, or $6,595.27 if plan check applies. See the permit guide.
A Material Check on That Driveway
A 400 sq ft slab at 4 inches is 4.94 cubic yards. Order 10 percent extra and it is 5.43 yards. At $212.50 a yard that is about $1,154 in concrete. Steel on an 18 inch grid is 60 ten foot #4 bars. At the 50 bar price that is $322.20.
So the concrete and steel are about $1,476 of a $3,992 to $7,328 job. The rest is tear out, hauling, base, forms, finishing, cure time, overhead and the crew.
What Moves Your Price
Thickness and steel. Slope and drainage. Access for the truck, or a pump if the truck cannot reach. The finish. Clay soil that needs more base. Whether the approach at the curb is part of the job. HOA review. A tight pour day.
Send photos and rough sizes with your request. They let us give a tighter written number.
Questions People Ask
How much is a yard of concrete in San Diego?
The City of San Diego contract with Pedroza Ready Mix lists $205.50 a yard for 3,250 psi and $212.50 for 4,000 psi. That is a big buyer price, so a single home order costs more.
Is it cheaper to use bags of concrete?
No. At $6.87 for a 90 lb bag, one cubic yard takes 40 bags and costs $274.80 before mixing. Bags fit small jobs.
What does it cost to dump old concrete in San Diego?
Miramar Landfill charges $241 a ton for city C&D debris on a weighed load and $108 flat for a load under one ton. The city also lists certified recyclers for concrete and C&D debris. Call them for a rate.
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