Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Diego
1,385,061
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Diego
$104,321
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
San Diego
$848,500
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
San Diego
$2,223
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
San Diego
4.12
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Diego
197.7
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
San Diego
62°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Diego
5.9%
How Similar Are Chicago & San Diego?
San Diego is Chicago's #21 most similar city
0 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Diego
1,385,061
Chicago has a 49% larger population than San Diego.
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
San Diego
4.12
Chicago has a 24% higher violent crime than San Diego.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
San Diego
16.70
Chicago's property crime is significantly higher than San Diego's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
San Diego
40.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but San Diego has a stronger Democratic lean (29% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Diego
5.9%
Chicago has a 26% higher unemployment than San Diego.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Diego
$104,321
San Diego has a 28% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
San Diego
$848,500
San Diego's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 63% difference.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
San Diego
35.2%
San Diego has a 13% higher education than Chicago.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
San Diego
50.4%
San Diego has a 23% higher demographics than Chicago.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Diego
197.7
San Diego has a 34% higher cost of living than Chicago.
Chicago and San Diego differ significantly across all measured metrics.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
San Diego
San Diego leads in 7 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Chicago leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDChicago scores 164.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in San Diego. Chicago has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,781 vs $3,001 in San Diego (41% lower). Chicago has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,581 vs $2,459 in San Diego (36% 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 median home value of $848,500 vs $315,200 in Chicago (63% higher). San Diego has a single-family homes of 53.3% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. San Diego has a vacancy rate of 6.7% compared to 9.6% in Chicago.
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 ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs San Diego: 788,942 for labor force. San Diego has a poverty rate of 11.1% compared to 16.8% in Chicago. San Diego: 19 min vs Chicago: 27 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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. San Diego has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 3.35 in Chicago. San Diego has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 10.87 compared to 23.19 in Chicago.
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 Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. San Diego gets 125 more sunny days per year than Chicago. San Diego averages 56°F, about 12°F cooler than Chicago.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — San Diego leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Diego has a bachelor's degree or higher of 35.2% compared to 30.6% in Chicago.
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 ACSChicago has a population of 2,707,648, about 2x the size of San Diego (1,385,061).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
San Diego
Healthcare — San Diego leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Diego: 4.0 vs Chicago: 3.0 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 ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 3.0% in San Diego. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.7% in San Diego. San Diego: 19 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Chicago, IL
Compare Chicago 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.