Population
Boston
663,972
San Diego
1,385,061
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
San Diego
$104,321
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
San Diego
$848,500
Rent
Boston
$2,093
San Diego
$2,223
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
San Diego
4.12
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
San Diego
197.7
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
San Diego
62°F
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
San Diego
5.9%
How Similar Are Boston & San Diego?
San Diego is Boston's #4 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
San Diego
1,385,061
San Diego (1,385,061) is about 2.1x larger than Boston (663,972).
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
San Diego
4.12
Boston has a 34% higher violent crime than San Diego.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
San Diego
16.70
Boston has a 17% higher property crime than San Diego.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
San Diego
40.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but San Diego has a stronger Democratic lean (44% difference).
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
San Diego
5.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
San Diego
$104,321
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
San Diego
$848,500
San Diego has a 16% higher home values than Boston.
Education
Boston
38.0%
San Diego
35.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
San Diego
50.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
San Diego
197.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and San Diego share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
San Diego
San Diego leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Boston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBoston scores 272.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in San Diego. Boston has a living wage (family of 4) of $187,809 vs $205,632 in San Diego (9% lower). Boston has a living wage (1 adult) of $79,458 vs $86,998 in San Diego (9% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — San Diego leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Diego has a single-family homes of 53.3% compared to 18.2% in Boston. San Diego has a vacancy rate of 6.7% compared to 9.3% in Boston. San Diego has a owner-occupied of 47.6% compared to 35.4% in Boston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Diego leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Diego has a poverty rate of 11.1% compared to 16.9% in Boston. San Diego: 788,942 vs Boston: 403,888 for labor force. San Diego: 19 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — San Diego leads
Source: FBI UCRSan Diego has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 1.26 in Boston. San Diego has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 10.87 compared to 16.87 in Boston. San Diego has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.12 compared to 6.28 in Boston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — San Diego leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoSan Diego: 12.3" vs Boston: 38.6" for annual rainfall. San Diego gets 110 more sunny days per year than Boston. San Diego averages 56°F, about 13°F cooler than Boston.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Boston leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBoston has a high school diploma or higher of 50.8% compared to 45.8% in San Diego. Boston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.0% compared to 35.2% in San Diego.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Diego has a population of 1,385,061, about 2.1x the size of Boston (663,972). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 36.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
San Diego
Healthcare — San Diego leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Diego: 5 vs Boston: 4 for with emergency services. San Diego: 4.0 vs Boston: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — San Diego leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 3.0% in San Diego. Boston has a bicycle of 2.1% compared to 0.7% in San Diego. San Diego has a drive alone of 64.2% compared to 34.1% in Boston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.