City comparison
San Diego, CA is about 70 miles (125 km) from Tustin, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 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 San Diego, CA to Tustin, CA takes about 9 min, covering roughly 70 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 79,514 in Tustin — about 17.4× larger by population. By land area, San Diego covers about 325 sq mi vs 11 sq mi for Tustin.
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 | Tustin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $2,205/mo | 6.0% higher in Tustin |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $850,200 | 8.5% higher in Tustin |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $102,065 | 3.5% higher in Tustin |
| Groceries index | 107.6 | 106.4 | 1.1% higher in San Diego |
| Utilities index | 169.8 | 155.6 | 9.2% higher in San Diego |
| Transportation index | 100.0 | 104.4 | 4.3% higher in Tustin |
| Healthcare index | 100.0 | 104.3 | 4.3% higher in Tustin |
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 $97,779 in Tustin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tustin, CA is about 2.2% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in San Diego than in Tustin. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $78,223 in Tustin to keep the same standard of living.