Livermore vs San Diego
The short version
- San Diego is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Livermore area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $906,700 in San Diego and $1,105,600 in Livermore.
- Households earn more in Livermore ($160,775 vs $108,077 median).
- San Diego has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 57°F.
- Livermore has more scorching days: 52 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- San Diego is growing faster: +1.6% since 2020 vs -5.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Diego (24 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Livermore, CA | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 83,457 | 1,406,106 |
| Growth since 2020 | -5.1% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,141 | 4,312 |
| Median age | 40.7 | 36.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $160,775 | $108,077 |
| Median home value | $1,105,600 | $906,700 |
| Home value to income | 6.9× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,677 | $2,313 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 72% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.1 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 22% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.6% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 4.9% | 11% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 38° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 88° / 57° | 74° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 20 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +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: Livermore: April to June and September to October. San Diego: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Livermore 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 $86,700 in Livermore and $83,900 in San Diego. Moving from Livermore to San Diego, you would need about $72,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Livermore 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 Livermore and San Diego.
Which would you pick?
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