Living in San Diego, CA

It's elevated — there's no way to sugarcoat a violent crime index of 131 when the national average sits at 100. Property crime is at 145. That said, city-wide averages hide a lot of variation. There are safe, quiet neighborhoods in San Diego where people raise families without much worry. The key is doing granular research: talk to residents, check precinct-level data, and visit at different times of day before signing a lease. FBI UCR numbers.

Most households manage fine. Median rent in San Diego is $2,223/month, and the typical household pulls in $104,321/year — a 25.6% rent-to-income ratio. That's under the 30% threshold where housing costs start to pinch, though not by a huge margin. If you're a single earner or have significant debt payments, run your own numbers carefully. For dual-income households, the math works out comfortably. Census ACS 2023.

The average worker in San Diego spends about 19 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (64.2%), with 19.2% working remotely and 3.0% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

Not particularly. The climate risk score is 35/100, which puts San Diego in the low-risk tier. Wildfire, Earthquake, and Drought are the most relevant hazards, but none of them are frequent concerns. Standard insurance should have you covered. It's one less thing to worry about if you're comparing this city to higher-risk metros along the coast or in tornado alley. Data from FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA.

Mixed. The city-wide graduation rate is 84.0% and classrooms average 22 students per teacher. Some schools here are legitimately excellent — strong test scores, engaged communities, good resources. Others struggle. The gap between the best and worst is wider than you might expect. Do your homework on individual schools rather than relying on the city-wide number.

A bit less than you'd pay in most U.S. cities. The average monthly utility bill in San Diego is around $205 (covering electric, gas, water, sewer), compared to a national average of $230. That $25 monthly savings won't change your life, but it's a nice perk — especially if you're coming from a more expensive market.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 50, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and San Diego logs 225 clean-air days annually. Ozone is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Higher than average, yes. The total effective tax rate lands around 15.5% when you add up income, property, and sales taxes. Sales tax is 7.8%. High-tax areas often come with better public schools, infrastructure, and services — but that's not guaranteed, and it's cold comfort on payday. If you're moving from a low-tax state like Texas or Florida, brace for a noticeable dip in take-home pay.

Mostly, yes. The system scores 82/100, with 0 health-based violations on record and a "low" lead risk rating. That's a solid track record. Most residents drink tap water without issues. If you're in an older building with pre-1986 plumbing, a basic filter is a cheap precaution. For detailed contaminant info, check EWG's Tap Water Database.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; water quality compliance data from EPA records and the EWG Tap Water Database; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.