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→Ocala
Ocala is the horse capital of the world (it actually has more thoroughbred horses than Lexington, Kentucky), with rolling hills of horse farms unlike anywhere else in Florida. Silver Springs (one of the largest artesian springs in the world) is right next door, with glass-bottom boats and clear blue water. Surprisingly hilly. Slower than the coastal cities, with a quietly strong equestrian economy.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,616/mo
$1,274/mo less than San Diego (79%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$277k
$734k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,717/mo
Ocala has $2,049/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
208 days
124 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
15 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Ocala has 15 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
62 / 100
13.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
5 routes
50 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
410k metro
San Diego has 174.0x more events per month than Ocala.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Ocala
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Ocala 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