Newton vs San Diego
The short version
- Newton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the San Diego area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $906,700 in San Diego and $1,264,900 in Newton.
- Households earn more in Newton ($190,304 vs $108,077 median).
- San Diego has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 37°F.
- Newton gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 0.
- Commutes are shorter in San Diego (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Newton, MA | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 90,741 | 1,406,106 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,090 | 4,312 |
| Median age | 42.1 | 36.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 81% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $190,304 | $108,077 |
| Median home value | $1,264,900 | $906,700 |
| Home value to income | 6.6× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,370 | $2,313 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 70% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.6 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 32% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 8% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.8% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 4.5% | 11% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 23° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 82° / 66° | 74° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.9 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +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: Newton: May to October. San Diego: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Newton 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 $81,200 in Newton and $83,900 in San Diego. Moving from Newton to San Diego, you would need about $77,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Newton 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 Newton and San Diego.
Which would you pick?
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