Chico vs San Diego
The short version
- Chico is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the San Diego area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $468,100 in Chico and $906,700 in San Diego.
- Households earn more in San Diego ($108,077 vs $66,977 median).
- San Diego has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 54°F.
- Chico has more scorching days: 65 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- Commutes are shorter in Chico (18 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chico, CA | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 105,081 | 1,406,106 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,057 | 4,312 |
| Median age | 31.1 | 36.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,977 | $108,077 |
| Median home value | $468,100 | $906,700 |
| Home value to income | 7.0× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,488 | $2,313 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.2 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 91.9 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,900 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.8 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 14% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.8% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 22.7% | 11% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 54° / 41° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 91° / 67° | 74° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 56 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 65 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 7 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.9 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 65% | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | -2.1% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +13.1% | +40.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Chico: May to June and September to October. San Diego: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Chico weather by month and San Diego weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,900 in Chico and $83,900 in San Diego. Moving from Chico to San Diego, you would need about $82,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chico and San Diego
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Chico and San Diego.
Which would you pick?
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