Cost of Living: San Diego, CA vs San Francisco, CA
San Diego is about 3% cheaper than San Francisco overall.
Comparing San Diego, CA and San Francisco, CA across cost of living, rent, income, and the salary needed to live comfortably. San Diego has a lower overall price level, driven mainly by housing.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | San Diego | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living index | 111.9 | 115.6 |
| Median rent | $2,223 | $2,419 |
| Rent, 1-bedroom (FMR) | $2,459 | $2,385 |
| Rent, 2-bedroom (FMR) | $3,001 | $2,912 |
| Median home value | $848,500 | $1,380,500 |
| Median household income | $104,321 | $141,446 |
| Salary needed (single) | $98,400 | $95,400 |
| Salary needed (family) | $159,900 | $149,000 |
Green highlights the more favorable value for each metric. Lower is better for costs; higher is better for income. Figures are estimates from public data (BEA, Census, HUD).
Which City Is More Affordable?
Overall, San Diego is the more affordable of the two, with a cost-of-living index of 111.9 versus 115.6 for San Francisco. The biggest difference is usually housing, where rents in San Francisco run noticeably higher.
You can read the full breakdown for each city on its own page: cost of living in San Diego and cost of living in San Francisco.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in San Diego or San Francisco?
San Diego is about 3% cheaper than San Francisco overall, based on the BEA cost-of-living index (San Diego: 111.9 vs San Francisco: 115.6).
What is the rent difference between San Diego and San Francisco?
The median rent is $2,223 in San Diego and $2,419 in San Francisco.
How much salary do you need in San Diego vs San Francisco?
A single person needs about $98,400 in San Diego and $95,400 in San Francisco to live comfortably.
Data Sources
Cost-of-living index from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities). Income, rent, and home value from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-Year). Fair Market Rents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.