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

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Ana, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Diego, CA. In the model, rent is about 28.78% of gross in Santa Ana, CA versus 32.4% in San Diego, CA, so Santa Ana, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Santa Ana, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in San Diego, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Santa Ana, CA
28.78%
COLI tier: very high-cost
Rent share (1BR) in San Diego, CA
32.4%
COLI tier: very high-cost

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

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Santa Ana, CA: 142.8 (U.S. = 100) · San Diego, CA: 142.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Santa Ana, CA: $1,877/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Diego, CA: $2,112/mo

Median rent in San Diego, CA is $235/mo higher than in Santa Ana, CA.

Median Home Price

Santa Ana, CA: $657,800 · San Diego, CA: $848,500

Median home price in San Diego, CA is $190,700 higher than in Santa Ana, CA.

Median Household Income

Santa Ana, CA: $88,354 · San Diego, CA: $104,321

San Diego, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Ana, CA by $15,967.

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