Head to head
San Diego, CA vs San Francisco, CA
San Diego is cheaper — estimated essentials for a single person run about $522/mo less, and living comfortably there takes roughly $13,000 less in annual salary (taxes included).
It flips for a family. For a household of four, San Francisco is the cheaper of the two — rent scales to household size using each city's own bedroom spread, and that spread is far steeper in some markets than others.
| Metric | San Diego63 | San Francisco54 |
|---|---|---|
| Est. monthly cost (single) | $6,357 | $6,879 |
| Est. monthly cost (household of 4) | $12,498 | $12,433 |
| Salary for comfort | $130,000/yr | $143,000/yr |
| Typical rent | $3,001 | $3,604 |
| Median home value | $848,500 | $1,380,500 |
| Median household income | $104,321 | $141,446 |
| Unemployment | 3.8% | 3.3% |
| Housing score | 12 | 15 |
| Jobs score | 56 | 65 |
| Safety score | 100 | 62 |
| Climate score | 100 | 100 |
| Amenities score | 95 | 85 |
| Population | 1.4M | 836.3K |
| Summer high / winter low | 75° / 49° | 67° / 46° |
Fit scores use the reference profile (single, $6,700/mo gross, default weights). Green marks the better value per row.
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA