on $100k a year, leaving Fort Collins

change
San Diego, CA cityscape

swapping out of fort collins

San Diego

ca · metro 3.3M

photo: Justin Wolff / unsplash

a dispatch from

san diego

CA

32.72°N

117.16°W

San Diego is the city most Californians secretly wish they lived in: 70°F, sunny, and a beach for every mood. Fish tacos are religion, Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park and packed with museums, and the craft beer scene is one of the best in the country. The zoo is world-famous and the burritos are aggressively underrated. Even the freeways feel relaxed here.

metro3.3M

in our guides

#4

of 10

Most walkable cities in America

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#9

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Best cities for live music and arts

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#3

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#5

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Best cities for parks and green space

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#2

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#9

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Best cities for a $100k salary

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#2

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#2

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Best cities with mild winters

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,328

more each month than Fort Collins ran you

San Diego doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what San Diego is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
landable, recorded on the san diego entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,890/mo

47% more expensive than Fort Collins(vs $1,971/mo)

02state income tax

9.3%

$408/mo more in state tax than Fort Collins

vs 4.4% in Fort Collins

03after rent

$4,668/mo

$1,328 less than Fort Collins

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$1010k

77% more expensive than Fort Collins

vs $572k in Fort Collins

05metro size

3.3M

vs 371k in Fort Collins

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

332

pleasant days a year, in san diego.

Fort Collins barely cracks 177 pleasant ones.

174.0× the events of Fort Collins, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

75/100

9% higher than Fort Collins

vs 69/100 in Fort Collins

Closest outdoor draw: Silver Strand State Beach, 4.8 mi.

·walk score®

99/100

15% higher than Fort Collins

vs 86/100 in Fort Collins

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

55

67% fewer than Fort Collins

vs 169 nonstops in Fort Collins

04 · see also

same energy as san diego, different zip code:

see also

honolulu

more things to do

turn the page

see also

oxnard

better weather

turn the page

see also

san luis obispo

more things to do

turn the page

compare san diego with:

HonoluluOxnardSan Luis Obispo