01 · the cities
San Diego
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.
full dispatch→Knoxville
Knoxville is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains (the most-visited national park in the country, 30 minutes east), the University of Tennessee's Vol energy, and the gold-roofed Sunsphere left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Market Square downtown is brick, patios, and a Saturday farmers market that takes over the whole space. The food and bar scene has come into its own. The mountains do the heavy lifting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,731/mo
$1,159/mo less than San Diego (67%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$364k
$647k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,602/mo
Knoxville has $1,934/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
332 days
189 days
143 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
9 days
days below 20°F per year
Knoxville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
69 / 100
6.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
17 routes
38 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
947k metro
San Diego has 4.1x more events per month than Knoxville.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Knoxville
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Knoxville wins on money. Dead even.
run your numbers
How far does your San Diego salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works