SalaryCompareTool

Fort Collins, CO vs San Diego, CA

Moving from Fort Collins to San Diego? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($556,500 → $946,365 median home) and taxes.

Fort Collins vs San Diego at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Fort Collins, CO San Diego, CA Cost-of-living index Fort Collins, CO — Cost-of-living index: 97 97 San Diego, CA — Cost-of-living index: 111 111 Median home price Fort Collins, CO — Median home price: $557k $557k San Diego, CA — Median home price: $946k $946k Price per sqft Fort Collins, CO — Price per sqft: $293 $293 San Diego, CA — Price per sqft: $631 $631 Median rent Fort Collins, CO — Median rent: $1,928 $1,928 San Diego, CA — Median rent: $2,951 $2,951 Combined sales tax Fort Collins, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% San Diego, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Fort Collins, CO — Property tax rate: 0.52% 0.52% San Diego, CA — Property tax rate: 0.72% 0.72% Violent crime /100k Fort Collins, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 San Diego, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Collins, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 San Diego, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Fort Collins, CO — Avg commute (min): 23 23 San Diego, CA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° San Diego, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18° San Diego, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Collins, CO, you'd need about $113,805 in San Diego, CA (+$13,805).

Livability — Fort Collins, CO: 59 · San Diego, CA: 44 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,707 sqft in Fort Collins vs 793 sqft in San Diego ($293 vs $631 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Collins, COSan Diego, CADifference
Housing $23,136 $35,412 +$12,276
Groceries $4,814 $5,112 +$298
Transportation $4,050 $5,125 +$1,075
Utilities $1,788 $3,804 +$2,016
Insurance $2,800 $1,500 −$1,300
Taxes $9,647 $21,601 +$11,955
Total $46,234 $72,554 +$26,320

Side by side

MetricFort Collins, COSan Diego, CA
Cost-of-living index97.3110.7
Unemployment rate4.57%6.34%
Population growth (5-yr)8.6%0.2%
Air quality (median AQI)5471
Big Mac price (est.)$5.54$6.30
Median home price$556,500$946,365
Home price ÷ income6.4×9.8×
1-yr home appreciation-1.5%-1.1%
Price per square foot$293$631
Median rent$1,928$2,951
Total tax burden (% income)9.7%13.5%
Combined sales tax7.77%8.82%
Capital gains tax4.40%13.30%
Property tax rate0.52%0.72%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$19,000
Vehicle property tax1.79%0.65%
Avg commute (min)2326
Home insurance / yr$2,800$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$2,000$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$550$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$950
Electricity ¢/kWh16.535.3
Gas $/gal3.304.85
Violent crime /100k490500
Avg summer high °F8884
Avg winter low °F1845
Permit difficulty (1–5)35
Moving to San Diego?
Compare moving company quotes →
Financing a home in San Diego?
See today's mortgage rates →

Ad · affiliate links

Fort Collins details → San Diego details → Reverse: San Diego vs Fort Collins →