City comparison
San Diego, CA is about 1,100 miles (1,700 km) from Seattle, WA 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 San Diego, CA to Seattle, WA takes about 2 h 7 min, covering roughly 1,100 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.
San Diego has a population of 1,383,987, vs 734,603 in Seattle — about 1.9× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Seattle.
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 | San Diego | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $1,945/mo | 6.9% higher in San Diego |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $879,900 | 12.3% higher in Seattle |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $116,068 | 17.6% higher in Seattle |
| Groceries index | 107.6 | 103.0 | 4.4% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 169.8 | 92.5 | 83.6% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 100.0 | 108.1 | 8.0% higher in Seattle |
| Healthcare index | 100.0 | 108.8 | 8.8% higher in Seattle |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in San Diego, you'd need $88,456 in Seattle to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Seattle, WA is about 11.5% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 17% higher in San Diego than in Seattle. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $70,764 in Seattle to keep the same standard of living.