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Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in El Cajon, CA
5 pawn shops in and around El Cajon — 2.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 1.4 across California. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. El Cajon ranks #32 of 137 California cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 5
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 2.9
- California: 1.4
- Big-chain shops
- 0
- Payday & loan stores
- 5
- Population
- 173,597
Pawn shops in El Cajon: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Pawn Co | 715 E Main St El Cajon, CA 92020 | (619) 590-1500 | autopawnco.com |
| East County Pawn | 941 Broadway El Cajon, CA 92021 | (619) 588-4207 | eastcountypawn.com |
| El Cajon Jewelry And Loan | 935 E Main St El Cajon, CA 92021 | (619) 440-8282 | elcajonjewelryandloan.com |
| Excel Auto Pawn | 1415 N Magnolia Ave El Cajon, CA 92020 | — | excelautopawn.com |
| Spanky's | 555 El Cajon Blvd El Cajon, CA 92020 | (619) 444-4448 | spankys-el-cajon.jany.io |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in El Cajon
El Cajon has 5 pawn shops and 5 payday, installment and title loan stores.
Pawn shops
5
2.9 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
5
2.9 per 100k residents
5 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in El Cajon: ACE Cash Express (1), Advance America (1), Moneytree (1), OneMain Financial (1), Speedy Cash (1).
Borrowing $300 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (~460% APR) | $45.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $90.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $60.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $27.00 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in El Cajon
- 1.4%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in El Cajon
- 0.9%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.9 days of income
Payday: the CA maximum — $45 on a $300 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan. Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by California law and vary by shop — ask for the total in writing. PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in CA | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An item of value (jewelry, gold, electronics, tools, firearms) and an ID | A bank account, proof of income and an ID |
| Credit check | None | Usually none |
| How much you get | A fraction of the item's resale value | Based on your income, up to the state limit |
| If you can't repay | The shop keeps the item; no collections and no credit damage | Fees pile up with renewals; the debt can go to collections |
| Bank account access | None | Lender can debit your account or cash your check |
| Rules in California | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by California; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Allowed, up to $300; typical APR ~460% |
El Cajon at a glance
- Median household income
- $78,664
- California: $102,369
- Poverty rate
- 15.7%
- California: 12.0%
- Households under $25,000
- 15.6%
- California: 12.7%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.9 days of income
Payday and installment loan stores in El Cajon
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in El Cajon with addresses, phone numbers and hours.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1175 Avocado Ave Ste 104 El Cajon, CA 92020 | (619) 441-9172 | — | 4.9 |
| 534 N. 2nd Street El Cajon, CA 92021 | (619) 593-8104 | Mon–Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 303 N 2nd St El Cajon, CA 92021 | (619) 440-8000 | — | 4.7 |
| 2856 Fletcher Pkwy T & C El Cajon, CA 92020 | (619) 463-2495 | — | 3.5 |
| 380 Broadway Suite 103 El Cajon, CA 92021 | (619) 447-4547 | — | 4.9 |
Pawn shops near El Cajon
More about El Cajon
Pawn shop listings: © Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive 2.0), including Foursquare OS Places and © OpenStreetMap contributors; filtered and de-duplicated by us. Population, income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Call ahead to confirm hours and what a shop buys or lends on.