City comparison
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 | Urbandale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $1,108/mo | 87.7% higher in A |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $298,500 | 162.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $111,888 | 11.8% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 106.8 | 94.5 | 13.0% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 159.5 | 86.7 | 83.9% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 101.1 | 94.1 | 7.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 101.0 | 94.8 | 6.5% higher in A |
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 $64,988 in Urbandale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Urbandale, IA is about 35% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 51% lower in Urbandale than in San Diego. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $51,990 in Urbandale to keep the same standard of living.