City profile
San Diego, CA cost of living
CA · BEA RPP 111.887
Latest official changes
Updates affecting San Diego, CA
City metrics retain the historical BEA 2024 and HUD FY2027 benchmarks. Change-log entries are dated source notices and do not automatically update those values.
2024 overall RPP
111.887
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
179.267
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
107.963
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$2,823/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where San Diego, CA sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#6 of 67
+11.9 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+12.4
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#6 of 67
+1,134/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 41740). HUD: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA (code METRO41740M41740); counties or county equivalents: San Diego County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of San Diego, CA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the San Diego, CA metro.
Moved in
95,628
people · 61,648 households
Moved out
110,935
people · 66,155 households
Net
−15,307
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#57 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-15,678
median +371 people
Largest flow share
10% in / 11% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Los Angeles County, CA 9,296
- Riverside County, CA 8,425
- Orange County, CA 5,810
- San Bernardino County, CA 2,928
- Maricopa County, AZ 2,636
Where residents moved to
- Riverside County, CA 12,708
- Los Angeles County, CA 6,906
- Orange County, CA 4,787
- Maricopa County, AZ 3,877
- Clark County, NV 3,142
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in San Diego, CA?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in San Diego, CA | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $55,944 | $50,000 x (111.887/100) |
| $75,000 | $83,915 | $75,000 x (111.887/100) |
| $100,000 | $111,887 | $100,000 x (111.887/100) |
| $125,000 | $139,859 | $125,000 x (111.887/100) |
| $150,000 | $167,831 | $150,000 x (111.887/100) |
| $200,000 | $223,774 | $200,000 x (111.887/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in San Diego, CA?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, San Diego, CA has an overall Regional Price Parity of 111.887 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 11.9% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in San Diego, CA?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $111,887 in San Diego, CA, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for San Diego, CA?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with San Diego, CA is $2,823 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from San Diego, CA?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 95,628 people moved into the San Diego, CA metro and 110,935 moved out — a net loss of roughly 15,307 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Los Angeles County, CA.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to San Diego, CA, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for San Diego, CA
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside San Diego, CA's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log