($1,694) Movers From Grand Rapids, MI to San Diego, CA

What to know before moving from Grand Rapids to San Diego

Moving from Grand Rapids to San Diego means adjusting to a different pace of life — and a different price tag. On average, it costs significantly more to live in Grand Rapids than in San Diego, making the move an opportunity for many to enjoy a lower cost of living.

Check out how Grand Rapids compares to San Diego so you know what to expect before you relocate:

• Rent prices in San Diego are 74% higher than in Grand Rapids, which means you’ll have less money in your pocket each month.
• In terms of homeownership, you’ll be able to get more for your money in Grand Rapids.
  Home prices in San Diego are 205.7% higher than in Grand Rapids.
• Income in San Diego is 15.3% higher than in Grand Rapids, so you could earn more for doing the same job. The top employers in San Diego include United States Navy, University of California, San Diego, and Sharp HealthCare.
• The cost of living for a single person in San Diego is 37.3% lower than in Grand Rapids. This includes routine expenses like utilities, groceries, clothing, and transportation.
• If you’re moving your family to San Diego, keep in mind that your living expenses could increase. The cost of living for a family in San Diego is 7.8% higher than in Grand Rapids.
• The unemployment rate in San Diego is 53.49% higher than in Grand Rapids.
• You’ll spend more on retail and restaurants in San Diego, since the city’s sales taxes in San Diego are 29.17% higher than in Grand Rapids.
• State income taxes in San Diego are 212.94% higher than in Grand Rapids.

To put this in perspective, you would need around $1,882.24 in San Diego to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $3,000.00 in Grand Rapids.

How life is different in Grand Rapids vs. San Diego

• The population of San Diego is about 597% greater than Grand Rapids, so you may find more to see and do in your new surroundings. Of course, with more people can also come increased competition for jobs and housing.
• Your access to buses, shuttles, trams, or trains in San Diego will be about the same as it currently is in Grand Rapids. The cities share a similar public transportation score, which means their transit systems are comparable in terms of how connected they are, how often they provide service, and how close they are to jobs, housing, retail and food stores, and other important locations.
• You’ll find San Diego to be about as walkable as Grand Rapids. The two cities have similar walkability scores of 53 and 56 respectively out of 100 in terms of how close housing is to businesses, recreational facilities, and jobs.
• You probably won’t see as many cycling lanes or off-road trails in San Diego, which is ranked as less bike-friendly than Grand Rapids. While Grand Rapids has a bike-friendliness score of 52 out of 100, San Diego earned a 43. Scores are based on factors like whether a city accommodates cyclists on major roadways, how often people bike to work, and how many steep hills it has.
• San Diego has a lower crime rate than Grand Rapids based on scores of 39.83 and Grand Rapids's 44.23, respectively. The crime index shows how safe a city is perceived to be. So, a lower score generally means less crime.
• You might find more confidence in your overall safety in San Diego than in Grand Rapids, based on San Diego’s safety index of 60.17 versus 55.77 for Grand Rapids. With this index, higher scores indicate more safety, particularly around how comfortable residents feel walking alone during the day and at night.
• The air quality in San Diego isn’t as good as it is in Grand Rapids, so you may want to take precautions if you suffer from conditions like allergies or asthma. San Diego has an air quality rating of Moderate, and Grand Rapids is considered to be good. Cities with good to moderate air quality may have varying levels of minor potential for health risks for certain people. Beyond the moderate rating, those health risks increase in severity and the amount of residents affected.