City comparison
Glendale, CA is about 125 miles (175 km) from San Diego, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 30 min 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 Glendale, CA to San Diego, CA takes about 14 min, covering roughly 125 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 194,512 in Glendale — about 7.1× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 30 sq mi for Glendale.
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 | Glendale | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,002/mo | $2,080/mo | 3.9% higher in San Diego |
| Median home value | $992,000 | $783,300 | 26.6% higher in Glendale |
| Median household income | $81,219 | $98,657 | 21.5% higher in San Diego |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 107.6 | 1.1% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 169.8 | 9.2% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 100.0 | 4.3% higher in Glendale |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.0 | 4.3% higher in Glendale |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Glendale, you'd need $102,727 in San Diego to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Glendale, CA is about 2.7% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% higher in San Diego than in Glendale. If you earn $80,000 in Glendale, you'd need about $82,182 in San Diego to keep the same standard of living.