Population
San Diego
1,385,061
Boston
663,972
Median Income
San Diego
$104,321
Boston
$94,755
Home Value
San Diego
$848,500
Boston
$710,400
Rent
San Diego
$2,223
Boston
$2,093
Crime Rate
San Diego
4.12
Boston
6.28
Cost of Living
San Diego
197.7
Boston
180.6
Avg Temp
San Diego
62°F
Boston
50°F
Unemployment
San Diego
5.9%
Boston
6.0%
How Similar Are San Diego & Boston?
Boston is San Diego's #1 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Diego
1,385,061
Boston
663,972
San Diego (1,385,061) is about 2.1x larger than Boston (663,972).
Violent Crime
San Diego
4.12
Boston
6.28
Boston has a 34% higher violent crime than San Diego.
Property Crime
San Diego
16.70
Boston
20.22
Boston has a 17% higher property crime than San Diego.
Political Leaning
San Diego
40.2%
Boston
22.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but San Diego has a stronger Democratic lean (44% difference).
Unemployment
San Diego
5.9%
Boston
6.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
San Diego
$104,321
Boston
$94,755
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
San Diego
$848,500
Boston
$710,400
San Diego has a 16% higher home values than Boston.
Education
San Diego
35.2%
Boston
38.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
San Diego
50.4%
Boston
47.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
San Diego
197.7
Boston
180.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Diego and Boston share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
San Diego
0
Boston
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 owner-occupied of 47.6% compared to 35.4% in Boston. Boston has a median property tax of $4,335 vs $5,658 in San Diego (31% lower).
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: 788,942 vs Boston: 403,888 for labor force. San Diego has a poverty rate of 11.1% compared to 16.9% in Boston. 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 violent crime clearance of 47.2% compared to 31.1% in Boston. San 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.
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 warmer 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
San Diego
Boston
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 ACSSan Diego has a drive alone of 64.2% compared to 34.1% in Boston. Boston 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.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Diego, CA
Compare San Diego 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.