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→Orlando
Orlando is theme parks plus lake-dotted residential neighborhoods, a surprisingly good food scene, and one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the south. Winter Park is a charming brick-street pocket of art and brunch. The summer afternoon thunderstorms roll in at 3pm like clockwork. There's a swamp boardwalk within 15 minutes of wherever you are.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,937/mo
$953/mo less than San Diego (49%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$402k
$608k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,396/mo
Orlando has $1,728/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
216 days
116 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
10 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Orlando has 10 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
146 routes
91 more direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
2.8M metro
San Diego has 1.1x more events per month than Orlando.
the verdict
3
San Diego
categories won
5
Orlando
categories won
Orlando wins on money. San Diego has the edge on weather.
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