City comparison
San Diego, CA is about 150 miles (225 km) from Thousand Oaks, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 h 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 Thousand Oaks, CA takes about 17 min, covering roughly 150 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 126,532 in Thousand Oaks — about 10.9× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 55 sq mi for Thousand Oaks.
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 | Thousand Oaks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $2,483/mo | 19.4% higher in Thousand Oaks |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $900,600 | 15.0% higher in Thousand Oaks |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $125,399 | 27.1% higher in Thousand Oaks |
| Groceries index | 107.6 | 105.1 | 2.4% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 169.8 | 150.4 | 12.9% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 100.0 | 100.7 | 0.6% higher in Thousand Oaks |
| Healthcare index | 100.0 | 100.6 | 0.6% higher in Thousand Oaks |
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 $97,224 in Thousand Oaks to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Thousand Oaks, CA is about 2.8% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in San Diego than in Thousand Oaks. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $77,779 in Thousand Oaks to keep the same standard of living.