San Diego vs Torrance
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $906,700 in San Diego and $1,074,700 in Torrance.
- Households earn more in Torrance ($116,217 vs $108,077 median).
- San Diego is growing faster: +1.6% since 2020 vs -5.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Diego (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Diego, CA | Torrance, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,406,106 | 138,391 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.6% | -5.8% |
| People per square mile | 4,312 | 6,746 |
| Median age | 36.2 | 43.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $108,077 | $116,217 |
| Median home value | $906,700 | $1,074,700 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 9.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,313 | $2,280 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.9 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 179.3 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,900 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.5 | 26.9 |
| Work from home | 21% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 11% | 7.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 66° / 49° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 74° / 65° | 77° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.5% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.8% | +31.9% |
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. Torrance: January to December.
Full monthly tables: San Diego weather by month and Torrance 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 $85,200 in Torrance. Moving from San Diego to Torrance, you would need about $76,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Diego and Torrance
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 Torrance.
Which would you pick?
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