City comparison
Federal Way, WA is about 1,000 miles (1,700 km) from San Diego, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 22 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Federal Way, WA to San Diego, CA takes about 2 h 5 min, covering roughly 1,000 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
San Diego has a population of 1,383,987, vs 99,614 in Federal Way — about 13.9× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Federal Way.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Federal Way | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,660/mo | $2,080/mo | 25.3% higher in San Diego |
| Median home value | $454,300 | $783,300 | 72.4% higher in San Diego |
| Median household income | $80,360 | $98,657 | 22.8% higher in San Diego |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 107.6 | 3.5% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 95.7 | 169.8 | 77.4% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 106.6 | 100.0 | 6.6% higher in Federal Way |
| Healthcare index | 106.6 | 100.0 | 6.6% higher in Federal Way |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Federal Way, you'd need $113,913 in San Diego to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Federal Way, WA is about 12.2% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 19% higher in San Diego than in Federal Way. If you earn $80,000 in Federal Way, you'd need about $91,130 in San Diego to keep the same standard of living.