San Diego vs Tacoma
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $479,600 in Tacoma and $906,700 in San Diego.
- Households earn more in San Diego ($108,077 vs $85,884 median).
- San Diego has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 48°F.
- Tacoma is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs +1.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Diego (24 vs 29 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| San Diego, CA | Tacoma, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,406,106 | 229,816 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.6% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 4,312 | 4,622 |
| Median age | 36.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $108,077 | $85,884 |
| Median home value | $906,700 | $479,600 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,313 | $1,676 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.9 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 179.3 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,900 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.5 | 28.8 |
| Work from home | 21% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 11% | 12.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 66° / 49° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 74° / 65° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 98.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.5% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.8% | +28.5% |
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: San Diego: January to December. Tacoma: May to September.
Full monthly tables: San Diego weather by month and Tacoma weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,900 in San Diego and $83,300 in Tacoma. Moving from San Diego to Tacoma, you would need about $74,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Diego and Tacoma
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from San Diego and Tacoma.
Which would you pick?
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