

New York vs San Diego
$345/mo more in San Diego
New YorkSan DiegoAbout 2,409 miles apart, a flight.
- San Diego leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 266 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $1,587/mo in San Diego. $1,242/mo in New York. +$4,140 a year.
New York
$1,242
left each month
San Diego
$1,587
+$345 vs New York
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 2,120 households moved New York → San Diego (avg AGI $139,214). 1,740 went the other way. The whole move →
+$345 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | New York | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,292 | $8,511 | −$781 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,886 | $2,285 | −$601 |
| Take-home pay | $6,405 | $6,226 | −$179 |
| Rent | $3,018 | $2,292 | −$726 |
| Getting around | $347 | $650 | +$303 |
| Groceries | $496 | $468 | −$28 |
| Healthcare | $558 | $527 | −$31 |
| Utilities | $310 | $293 | −$17 |
| Everything else | $434 | $410 | −$24 |
| Left over | $1,242 | $1,587 | +$345 |
Salary to match New York
$95,500
Gross pay in San Diego that leaves the same amount as $111,500 in New York.
Tax difference
+$4,438
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 31.1% in New York, 26.8% in San Diego.
More about San Diego
New York, NY in full
The one place where skipping a car genuinely offsets the rent.
San Diego, CA in full
The best climate in the country and rents that know it.
The other way
Start in San Diego.
San Diego → New York →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in San Diego than New York?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, San Diego leaves about $345 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $3,018 in New York and $2,292 in San Diego.
Does San Diego have state income tax?
San Diego is in California, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from New York to San Diego?
The paycheck is taxed in California. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between New York and San Diego changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.