New Braunfels vs San Diego
The short version
- New Braunfels is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 15% lower than in the San Diego area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $339,400 in New Braunfels and $906,700 in San Diego.
- Households earn more in San Diego ($108,077 vs $86,021 median).
- New Braunfels has more scorching days: 128 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- New Braunfels is growing faster: +35.5% since 2020 vs +1.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Diego (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| New Braunfels, TX | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 122,492 | 1,406,106 |
| Growth since 2020 | +35.5% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,721 | 4,312 |
| Median age | 37.1 | 36.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $86,021 | $108,077 |
| Median home value | $339,400 | $906,700 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,654 | $2,313 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 94.7 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 94.6 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,000 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 65% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.1 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 16% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 11% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 64° / 40° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 74° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 31 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 128 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 20 | 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) | 92.7 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.5% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.3% | +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: New Braunfels: February to April and October to November. San Diego: January to December.
Full monthly tables: New Braunfels 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 $71,000 in New Braunfels and $83,900 in San Diego. Moving from New Braunfels to San Diego, you would need about $88,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New Braunfels 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 New Braunfels and San Diego.
Which would you pick?
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