San Diego or Los Angeles? Stuck between the two? It’s understandable since both have much to offer. If you are considering moving to any of these Southern California cities, you may want to make the right choice based on what works for you.
Do you love the outdoor life more than anything else? Or are you the type of person who prefers their own security while working and looking for better job opportunities? While both cities can offer a lot to you, you will be surprised to learn how different they are from each other.
We have compared several aspects that most of us look into before coming to a decision. By the end of this guide, you should be comfortable choosing between San Diego and Los Angeles. So, let’s find out which one stands out!
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Cost of Living
In general, Los Angeles is more expensive than San Diego in all of the aspects. For example, renting a 1-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles costs 12.8% more than in San Diego. Buying a home or a 1-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles is also more costly, with a difference of 42.9% and 18.2%, respectively.
Besides, residents in Los Angeles have less purchasing power than residents in San Diego, with an index of 80.6 compared to 82.4. Therefore, the cost of living in Los Angeles is higher than in San Diego by about 9.9%. However, this may vary depending on your personal preferences and lifestyle choices.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Weather
Both cities have a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters, but San Diego is slightly cooler than Los Angeles due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
San Diego also has more even temperatures throughout the year, with average highs ranging from the high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit (around 20-24 degrees Celsius), while Los Angeles has more temperature extremes, with average highs ranging from the high 60s to mid-80s Fahrenheit (around 20-29 degrees Celsius).
San Diego also enjoys more sunny days than Los Angeles, with an annual average of 86% of clear or partly cloudy skies, compared to 80% for Los Angeles. However, Los Angeles receives more rainfall than San Diego, with an annual average of 15.5 inches, compared to 11.7 inches for San Diego. Both cities have very low chances of snowfall, with an average of zero inches per year.
It may be hard to decide which city has the more favorable weather conditions, as it depends on your personal preferences and lifestyle choices. Some people may prefer the warmer and wetter climate of Los Angeles, while others may enjoy the cooler and drier climate of San Diego.
However, according to the Weather Spark, which measures how pleasant the weather is for a given location based on several factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation, San Diego has a slightly higher score than Los Angeles, with 9.2 out of 10, compared to 9.1 out of 10 for Los Angeles. This means that San Diego is one of the most pleasant places in California in terms of weather and climate.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Public Transportation
Public transportation is a crucial factor to consider when choosing between San Diego and Los Angeles, especially if you want to avoid the notorious traffic congestion. We compared the public transportation systems in terms of quality and coverage.
Los Angeles has an extensive public transportation system, with a metro rail and light rail system serving 101 stations, as well as metro, municipal, and DASH buses. The city has been investing billions of dollars to expand its Metro Rail system, which connects different parts of the city and the surrounding areas.
However, the public transportation system in Los Angeles still has some drawbacks, such as low frequency, limited hours of operation, and safety issues.
San Diego, on the other hand, has a smaller public transportation system, with a trolley light rail system serving 53 stations, as well as buses and commuter trains. The city has been improving its public transportation system, with plans to add more trolley lines and bus rapid transit routes.
However, the public transportation system in San Diego still has some limitations, such as low coverage and high fares. Therefore, the public transportation system in San Diego is slightly better than the one in Los Angeles, especially due to the fact that it’s safer and more organized.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Job Opportunities
According to Bestplaces, Los Angeles has a lower unemployment rate than San Diego, with 10.6% compared to 6.6%. Los Angeles also has a higher job growth rate than San Diego, increasing by 2% in the past 10 years. However, both cities have similar future job growth projections, with 34.6% for Los Angeles and 34.9% for San Diego in the next 10 years.
Los Angeles also pays higher salaries than San Diego for the same type of job in the same type of company, with an average difference of 4.0%. For example, a salary of $60,000 in San Diego would be equivalent to $62,421 in Los Angeles
However, one thing to keep in mind is that the cost of living is higher in Los Angeles than it is in San Diego–and this can make a big difference when it comes time to pay rent or mortgage payments each month!
For example: if you earn $50K/year as an engineer living on your own without any debt, then you’ll need around $3200 per month after taxes just so that your lifestyle remains unchanged–and if this amount includes paying off student loans or other debts too (which many millennials do), then things could get challenging pretty quickly!
Therefore, Los Angeles has better job opportunities than San Diego, but it also has a higher cost of living.
Verdict: Los Angeles Wins
Cuisine and Lifestyle
Both cities have a diverse and multicultural food scene, with influences from Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, and other cuisines. However, Los Angeles is more famous for its food and has more options to choose from, ranging from street food to fine dining.
San Diego is less popular for its food, but it has some specialties such as fish tacos, craft beer, and California burritos. Both cities also have a lively and energetic lifestyle, with plenty of outdoor activities, nightlife, music, and entertainment.
However, Los Angeles is more hectic and crowded, with more traffic, pollution, and stress. San Diego is more relaxed and laid-back, with more beaches, parks, and nature.
Therefore, with these factors in mind, Los Angeles has a better cuisine than San Diego, but San Diego has a better lifestyle than Los Angeles.
Verdict: Los Angeles Wins
Beaches
Both cities have a number of beaches, from sandy to rocky, from urban to natural, and from crowded to secluded but tripping.com notes the beaches in San Diego are cleaner and less crowded than those in Los Angeles, offering you a more intimate and comfortable experience.
Some of the most beautiful beaches in San Diego are Laguna Beach, Coronado, and La Jolla Cove. These beaches have clear and calm water, white sand, and beautiful scenery. They are also ideal for surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and whale watching.
On the other hand, the beaches in Los Angeles are more famous and have more options to choose from. Some of the most popular beaches in Los Angeles are Santa Monica, Venice, and Zuma. These beaches have lively atmospheres, with plenty of outdoor entertainment.
It may be hard to decide which city has the best beaches, as it depends on your personal preferences and interests. You may prefer the quieter and cleaner beaches of San Diego, while others may enjoy the busier beaches of Los Angeles. However, San Diego has a slight edge over Los Angeles in terms of beach quality.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Crime Rates
We all want to live in a safe neighborhood where we don’t spend much of the time worrying about our security, or that of our loved ones. That is why this is a key factor when comparing San Diego and Los Angeles.
Bestplaces ranks crime on a scale of 1 (the least) to 100 (the highest) when comparing these two cities. Several things compared include murder, rape, robbery, and assault, all categorized under violent crimes. Property crime aspects that were compared include burglary, theft, and arson.
The results reflected that San Diego has a lower crime rate than Los Angeles in both categories. The violent crime rate in San Diego is 24.4, while in Los Angeles it is 29.1.
The property crime rate in San Diego is 31.4, while in Los Angeles it is 35.11. This means that San Diego is safer than Los Angeles in terms of crime. But this may vary depending on the neighborhood and the time of the day.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Commute Times
The average commute time in San Diego is 22.7 minutes, while in Los Angeles it is 30.1 minutes. This means that commuting in Los Angeles takes 32.6% longer than in San Diego.
The rush hour traffic in San Diego is not as bad as in Los Angeles, but it still depends on variables such as tourists, accidents, and events.
One can expect a typical morning rush hour to range from 6:30–8:30 a.m. and a typical evening rush hour to range from 4:00–6:00 p.m. In the end, San Diego has better commute times than Los Angeles, but it still requires some planning and patience.
Verdict: San Diego Wins
Quality of Life Index
Quality of life index is a measure of how pleasant and comfortable the living conditions are for a given location, based on aspects such as cost of living, safety, health care, climate, pollution, and traffic.
According to numbeo.com, San Diego has a higher quality of life index than Los Angeles, with 160.10 compared to 135.84. This means that San Diego offers a better quality of life than Los Angeles.
Overall, the Winner between the two
In the end, San Diego as one of the best places to live in California is the clear winner. It has better weather, lower cost of living, better commute times, and a higher quality of life than Los Angeles.
While Los Angeles may be more exciting to some people–and it’s certainly fun to visit!–San Diego offers everything that makes Southern California so great in a way that works better for you as an individual if you’re looking for peace and quiet outside of your home life.
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