City comparison
San Diego, CA is about 425 miles (650 km) from Tracy, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 h 45 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 San Diego, CA to Tracy, CA takes about 50 min, covering roughly 425 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 94,027 in Tracy — about 14.7× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 26 sq mi for Tracy.
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 | Tracy | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $2,162/mo | 3.9% higher in Tracy |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $617,300 | 26.9% higher in San Diego |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $111,717 | 13.2% higher in Tracy |
| Groceries index | 107.6 | 105.1 | 2.4% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 169.8 | 155.3 | 9.4% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 100.0 | 100.7 | 0.6% higher in Tracy |
| Healthcare index | 100.0 | 100.6 | 0.6% higher in Tracy |
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 $81,637 in Tracy to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tracy, CA is about 18.4% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 48% higher in San Diego than in Tracy. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $65,310 in Tracy to keep the same standard of living.