San Diego families may be paying a steep price for the latest round of tariffs. According to Representatives Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs, the average household in the region is expected to absorb nearly $2,400 in additional costs this year as higher prices ripple through everything from groceries and school supplies to cars and construction materials.
At a press conference this week, Peters and Jacobs joined San Diego business leaders to highlight the local fallout from President Trump’s newly expanded tariffs, which now target more than 90 countries—including top trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico. The levies range from 10% on imports from the U.K. and Australia to as high as 50% on goods from Brazil and India.
“These tariffs are creating economic chaos,” Peters said. “They are a tax that businesses pay, which then raises prices for Americans already struggling with the cost of living. Instead of making America stronger, these policies are making families and small businesses weaker.”
Local business voices echoed those concerns. Chris Cate, president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, stressed that tariffs threaten the region’s binational economy, which thrives on strong cross-border partnerships with Mexico. “Tariffs hurt our regional economy. They cost jobs, reduce investment, raise prices for families, and undermine the cross-border economic engine that helps make our region the best place to live and work,” he said.
Nikia Clarke of the World Trade Center San Diego pointed out that the average U.S. tariff rate has spiked from just 2% to about 18% in a matter of months. While that surge has boosted federal tax revenue—more than $29 billion in July alone, according to NPR—local businesses are bearing the brunt. “The long-term impacts on jobs and supply chains are even more critical,” Clarke said, noting that 95% of San Diego exporters are small businesses with little room to absorb rising costs.
The effects are already being felt. Dan Clark, founder of San Diego-based Dan Clark Audio, said parts for his headphones now cost 50% more due to tariffs. “As a small business, we can’t just absorb these costs, so we’ll have to raise prices,” he explained. “Instead of helping us as a U.S. manufacturer, tariffs may cripple our export business.”
The U.S. Department of Labor has reported 14,000 manufacturing job losses nationwide since tariffs were announced in April, underscoring the broader economic risks. For San Diego families, the biggest impact may come at the checkout line—higher costs on everyday essentials, just as many households are already stretched thin by rising housing and living expenses.
With household budgets squeezed and businesses warning of lost competitiveness, the debate over tariffs is more than an abstract trade policy—it’s a kitchen-table issue for San Diego residents.
