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San Diego, CA Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the San Diego, CA area are 11.9% above the US average, and housing 79.3% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 10.6% lower than in San Diego, CA, so $75,000 in San Diego, CA buys what $67,024 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$67,024
Prices overall
-10.6%
Housing costs
-44.2%

San Diego, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items111.911.9% above
Housing179.379.3% above
Goods108.08.0% above
Utilities174.274.2% above
Other services99.6about the same as

What $75,000 in San Diego, CA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$75,4690.6%
Los Angeles, CA$76,1391.5%
Chicago, IL$69,437−7.4%
Dallas, TX$69,102−7.9%
Houston, TX$66,086−11.9%
Washington, DC$72,989−2.7%
Philadelphia, PA$68,767−8.3%
Atlanta, GA$67,091−10.5%
Miami, FL$76,5422.1%
Phoenix, AZ$69,236−7.7%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is San Diego expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 11.9% above the US average; housing is 79.3% above.

What salary do I need in San Diego, CA?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $83,925. The area's median household income is $106,268.

How much is rent in San Diego, CA?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,246 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does San Diego, CA compare with New York?

New York prices are 0.6% relative to San Diego, CA: $75,000 here equals $75,469 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • San Diego, CA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the San Diego, CA area is $2,246 a month including utilities, which takes 25% of the median household income ($106,268). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $89,840 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.