Moving from San Diego, CA to Los Angeles, CA
San Diego to Los Angeles is a move of about 138 miles. Median rent is $2,063 a month in Los Angeles and $2,246 in San Diego, and the median home is $871,300 against $854,700. Both pay the same state income tax, up to 13.30%, so housing and prices make the difference. Property tax runs 0.67% of home value in Los Angeles and 0.68% in San Diego.
Moving to Los Angeles costs about
$270/mo
less than San Diego each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 6 months
Moving costs somewhere around $1,566, and Los Angeles runs about $270 a month cheaper. After roughly 6 months you are ahead.
San Diego vs Los Angeles at a glance
| San Diego | Los Angeles | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $854,700 | $871,300 |
| Median rent | $2,246/mo | $2,063/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 13.30% | Up to 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.68% | 0.67% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 108 | 107 |
| Utilities | 174 | 159 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: San Diego vs Los Angeles
| Monthly | San Diego | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $2,246 | $2,063 | -$183 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $298 | $298 | $0 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $121 | $121 | $0 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,979 | $1,955 | -$24 |
| Utilities | $712 | $648 | -$64 |
| Total | -$271 | ||
Cost to move from San Diego to Los Angeles
$1,300 to $3,100
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $0 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so both sides use California's rates, and the difference you see is housing and everyday prices alone.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Los Angeles, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.