cost
Cost of Living Index
San Diego51.5 / 100
Los Angeles72 / 0
Comparison
Side-by-side data for relocation, travel, hiring, and investment decisions. Values are shown with source-backed metric definitions so trade-offs are easy to compare.
Bars and radar use 0-100 better scores. Tooltips keep the raw source values visible.
Chart summary: San Diego leads Cost of Living Index with 100 out of 100; San Diego leads Safety Index with 100 out of 100; Los Angeles leads Median Monthly Rent with 100 out of 100; San Diego leads House Price to Income with 100 out of 100. A complete normalized score table follows.
| Metric | Place | Raw value | Normalized score | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | San Diego | 51.5 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Cost of Living Index | Los Angeles | 72 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Safety Index | San Diego | 61.6 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Safety Index | Los Angeles | 46.8 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Median Monthly Rent | San Diego | $3,433 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Median Monthly Rent | Los Angeles | $1,964 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | San Diego | 10.8x | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | Los Angeles | 13.4x | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | San Diego | $5,009/mo | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | Los Angeles | $6,737/mo | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | San Diego | 7.6% | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | Los Angeles | 8.8% | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Healthcare Access Index | San Diego | 67.2 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Healthcare Access Index | Los Angeles | 72.7 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | San Diego | 80.6 years | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | Los Angeles | 79.9 years | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
cost
safety
housing
housing
jobs
jobs
health
health
Winner
San Diego wins on 15 of 22 metrics compared to Los Angeles.
Winner logic counts row wins after applying each metric direction. Exact ties do not count. Methodology
Top trade-offs
San Diego leads cost, safety, and housing; Los Angeles leads rent, salary, and health.
cost
San Diego
51.5
Los Angeles
72
safety
San Diego
61.6
Los Angeles
46.8
housing
San Diego
$3,433
Los Angeles
$1,964
housing
San Diego
10.8x
Los Angeles
13.4x
jobs
San Diego
$5,009/mo
Los Angeles
$6,737/mo
jobs
San Diego
7.6%
Los Angeles
8.8%
health
San Diego
67.2
Los Angeles
72.7
health
San Diego
80.6 years
Los Angeles
79.9 years
environment
environment
infrastructure
demographics
San Diego
0.9%
Los Angeles
0.7%
education
San Diego
58.7
Los Angeles
51.2
transport
San Diego
68.1
Los Angeles
49.2
safety
San Diego
18.5 per 100k
Los Angeles
19.2 per 100k
safety
San Diego
51.1 per 100k
Los Angeles
61.5 per 100k
health
San Diego
29.5%
Los Angeles
26.4%
quality
San Diego
5.4
Los Angeles
5.3
housing
San Diego
$11,050/sqm
Los Angeles
$7,581/sqm
religion
San Diego
22.9%
Los Angeles
15.0%
religion
San Diego
70.0%
Los Angeles
44.1%
religion
San Diego
41.5%
Los Angeles
43.1%
Some city-level values are modeled estimates when official city-level data is unavailable.
Each metric keeps its source, year, last refreshed date, and confidence label visible. Review methodology or Data Sources.