Cost of Living: San Diego, CA vs Santa Clara, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in San Diego, CA versus $3,974/mo in Santa Clara, CA. In the model, rent is about 32.4% of gross in San Diego, CA versus 43.49% in Santa Clara, CA, so San Diego, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in San Diego, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Santa Clara, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in San Diego, CA
32.4%
COLI tier: very high-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Santa Clara, CA
43.49%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between San Diego, CA and Santa Clara, CA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Clara, CA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): San Diego, CA
  • Lower home prices: San Diego, CA
  • Higher median household income: Santa Clara, CA

Cost of Living Index

San Diego, CA: 142.3 (U.S. = 100) · Santa Clara, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100)

Santa Clara, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Diego, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

San Diego, CA: $2,112/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Santa Clara, CA: $2,836/mo

Median rent in Santa Clara, CA is $724/mo higher than in San Diego, CA.

Median Home Price

San Diego, CA: $848,500 · Santa Clara, CA: $1,527,900

Median home price in Santa Clara, CA is $679,400 higher than in San Diego, CA.

Median Household Income

San Diego, CA: $104,321 · Santa Clara, CA: $173,670

Santa Clara, CA has a higher median household income than San Diego, CA by $69,349.

San Diego, CA overview · Santa Clara, CA overview · Popular comparisons