Nashua vs San Diego
The short version
- Nashua is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the San Diego area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $403,900 in Nashua and $906,700 in San Diego.
- Households earn more in San Diego ($108,077 vs $96,326 median).
- San Diego has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 34°F.
- Nashua gets far more snow: 53 inches a year vs 0.
- New Hampshire has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Nashua, NH | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 92,435 | 1,406,106 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.2% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,998 | 4,312 |
| Median age | 40.0 | 36.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $96,326 | $108,077 |
| Median home value | $403,900 | $906,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,737 | $2,313 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.7 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 134.2 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,200 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 0% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.0 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 17% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 7.8% | 11% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 34° / 14° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 84° / 61° | 74° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 53 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 15 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 155 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.8 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 85% | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.8% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +52.4% | +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: Nashua: May to September. San Diego: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Nashua 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 $79,200 in Nashua and $83,900 in San Diego. Moving from Nashua to San Diego, you would need about $79,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Nashua 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 Nashua and San Diego.
Which would you pick?
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