City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 100 miles (175 km) from San Diego, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 15 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 Los Angeles, CA to San Diego, CA takes about 13 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Los Angeles has a population of 3,881,041, vs 1,383,987 in San Diego — about 2.8× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 325 sq mi for San Diego.
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 | Los Angeles | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,080/mo | 16.1% higher in San Diego |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $783,300 | 5.0% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $98,657 | 29.4% higher in San Diego |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 107.6 | 1.1% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 169.8 | 11.9% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.0 | 4.0% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.0 | 4.3% higher in Los Angeles |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need $103,530 in San Diego to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 3.4% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in San Diego than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $82,824 in San Diego to keep the same standard of living.