The Bishop's School
American
$52,500/yr
Fees for 2026-27, from its website
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inSan Diego, CA, United States
California, United States1.4MHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Rufustelestrat
Purchasing Power vs. United States
21% more expensive
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). United States: $76,931/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 19% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
1.2x further
Prices are 19% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
1.4x further
Prices are 31% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.2x further
Prices are 19% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.1x further
Prices are 12% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$76,931
PPP, International $
City Population
1.4M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$3,173/mo
1BR Outside Center$2,658/mo
3BR City Center$5,299/mo
3BR Outside Center$4,210/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$24
Mid-Range (2 people)$97
Milk (1L)$1.25
Eggs (12)$5.79
Transport
Monthly Pass$72
Gasoline (1L)$1.25
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$249/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$85/mo
Education
Preschool$2,008/mo
Intl Primary School$36,281/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes United States as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in San Diego, CA.
Quality
Mixed public-school option
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
English
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
The United States has many excellent public schools, but quality varies sharply by district and neighborhood.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can use local public schools, but school quality depends heavily on district assignment and housing location.
🗺️ Homeschooling
Varies by stateHomeschooling is legal in all 50 US states but regulations vary dramatically. Some states (TX, AK, ID) have minimal oversight; others (NY, PA, MA) require notification, testing, and curriculum approval. Most worldschooling families establish residency in low-regulation states.
Homeschool legality in United States — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
3 confirmed schools
Typical fee
$39,700/yr
median of 3 schools' published fees
- American2
- IB1
Confirmed on its own website
Cathedral Catholic High School
American
$22,137/yr
Fees for 2026-27, from its website
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for San Diego, CA, United States.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$3,150-$4,000
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$3,750-$4,800
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for San Diego: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 71/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
71/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
San Diego International gives the metro strong domestic coverage plus practical Mexico and Pacific access without depending on Los Angeles for every family trip.
Urban transit
Trolley, commuter rail, and bus
tramcommuter railbus
The Trolley, COASTER, and MTS bus network make many coastal and core-city trips workable without a car even though much of greater San Diego still remains road-led.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft available
Ride-hailing is a normal complement for airport transfers, beach-area trips, and first/last-mile gaps beyond the strongest rail corridors.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in United States.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
171 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage and relatively low patient cost-sharing help, but the tracked facility mix leans away from public providers.
Private care
MixedA clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
88/100
2023
Physicians
3.68/1k
2022
Hospital beds
2.68/1k
2022
Out of pocket
11%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
17/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
3.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
GoodA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Dentist: 51Pharmacy: 42Clinic: 34Hospital: 19Doctor: 15Physiotherapy: 8Laboratory: 2
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in United States yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Crestwood Behavioral Health San Diego
Hospital · Emergency
psychiatry
BrightQuest Treatment Centers - San Diego
Hospital · Emergency
mental_health_servicesmental_health_clinic
Naval Medical Center San Diego
Hospital · Emergency
UC San Diego Medical Center
Hospital · Emergency
Sharp Coronado Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index60/100
Crime Index40/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.39
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Information & Technology | $190,000/yr |
| Finance & Insurance | $151,710/yr |
| Professional & Scientific Services | $146,495/yr |
| Utilities | $141,383/yr |
| Manufacturing | $123,746/yr |
| Transport & Logistics | $116,574/yr |
| Mining & Quarrying | $114,421/yr |
| Healthcare & Social Work | $96,543/yr |
| Real Estate | $95,391/yr |
| Other Services | $94,125/yr |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | $91,397/yr |
| Education | $91,351/yr |
| Construction | $88,000/yr |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | $87,275/yr |
| Administrative & Support Services | $80,713/yr |
| Agriculture & Farming | $60,601/yr |
| Hospitality & Food Service | $47,834/yr |
2025 annual wages in San Diego, CA, United States · Source: BLS OEWS (MSA-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
abs gasoline regular
$3.17EstimatedSame
beer
$7.75EstimatedSame
big mac
$6.22EstimatedSame
bread 500g
$3.39EstimatedSame
budget hotel
$255.97Survey-verified605% more
budget hotel night
$35.00EstimatedSame
childcare preschool
$2008.09Estimated29% more
cinema
$16.50EstimatedSame
coca cola
$2.15EstimatedSame
eggs dozen
$5.79Estimated20% more
gasoline liter
$30.67Survey-verified2878% more
inexpensive meal
$24.00Survey-verified14% more
internet 60mbps
$85.26Estimated26% more
iphone
$999.00EstimatedSame
jeans
$51.25EstimatedSame
latte
$5.31EstimatedSame
luxury hotel
$255.97Survey-verified46% cheaper
luxury hotel night
$450.00EstimatedSame
mcmeal
$24.00Survey-verified137% more
milk liter
$1.25Estimated2% more
monthly pass
$30.67Survey-verified56% cheaper
nike shoes
$91.25EstimatedSame
regional price parity
$95.10EstimatedSame
rent 1br
$3172.78Survey-verified75% more
rent 2br
$3172.78Survey-verified26% cheaper
rent 3br
$5299.09Estimated66% more
subway fare
$30.67Survey-verified1173% more
taxi km
$1.87EstimatedSame
utilities basic
$248.69Estimated16% more
Visa Information (US passport)
Long-Term Visa Programs
investment
US EB-5 Immigrant Investor (Standard)24 monthsPath to residency
24 monthsPath to residency
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in San Diego compared with the US?
Your money does not stretch further in San Diego than in the US — San Diego currently looks more expensive than the baseline market on a PPP basis, so the same income buys less day to day.
Is San Diego cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
San Diego is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 19% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for San Diego.
How does rent in San Diego compare with New York City?
Rent in San Diego is about 31% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in San Diego?
Groceries in San Diego are about 19% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 12% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About San Diego, CA
San Diego is the second-largest city in California and eighth-largest in the United States, a Pacific coastal metropolis of about 1.4 million in the country's southwest corner directly across the border from Tijuana. The economy concentrates on defense (the US Navy maintains its largest Pacific fleet here), biotech and life sciences anchored by UCSD and the Torrey Pines research cluster, tourism, and cross-border manufacturing tied to the Mexican maquiladora system. Relocators should weigh a mild Mediterranean climate with low rainfall and minimal seasonal swing, housing costs that rank among the least affordable in the country relative to local wages, English-Spanish bilingual daily life, and a sprawling car-dependent geography. The international airport connects mainly within North America.
Year-round perfect weather - 70°F avg, minimal rain, ideal for outdoor lifestyleExcellent broadband infrastructure - reliable fiber and 5G, suitable for remote workLarge, established expat community - especially Latin American and Asian populations with strong cultural networksCar-dependent city - limited walkability in most neighborhoods, driving necessary for most activitiesVibrant food scene - fresh Mexican cuisine, taco culture, diverse international restaurants and food marketsActive nightlife - coastal bars, craft beer scene, live music venues, club culture in downtown and Pacific BeachStrong coworking presence - multiple established spaces (WeWork, Spaces) and growing digital nomad hubsSafe, stable city - low violent crime in most expat-popular neighborhoods like Mission Hills and Pacific Beach
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