Head to head
San Diego (California) vs San Francisco (California).
🇺🇸 United States against 🇺🇸 United States, on tax, residence, cost, and the life. Same model, same year, no brochure.
🇺🇸 United States against 🇺🇸 United States, on tax, residence, cost, and the life. Same model, same year, no brochure.
| San Diego (California) | San Francisco (California) | |
|---|---|---|
| Effective tax at $300K | 33% | 33% |
| Effective tax at $1M | 43% | 43% |
| Effective tax at $3M | 48% | 48% |
| Kept at $1M | $570K | $570K |
| Capital gains | 37% | 37% |
| Cost index (Zurich 100) | 100 | 112 |
| Safety | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Schools | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Sun hours | 3,055 | 3,060 |
| Supercar street index | #46 | #43 |
| Routes in | Golden visa, Founder & talent | Golden visa, Founder & talent |
| Net millionaire inflow 2025 (country, Henley) | +7,500 | +7,500 |
| Flight London | 11.7 | 11.5 |
| Flight New York | 5.8 | 6.1 |
Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties.
San Francisco (California) keeps more of a $1M salary, $0 a year on this model. San Diego (California) answers with schools and safety.
Capital gains land at 37% in both. Exit rules apply. San Diego (California) and San Francisco (California): California taxes capital gains as ordinary income, so an exit here can lose 37% between federal and state. The order of operations, move first or sell first, is worth more than any other decision on this board.
San Diego (California) leads on schools, safety and a lower cost, San Francisco (California) on sun.
The engine takes what you earn and what you hold, then orders every address on the board against it.
Rank the board against my position →90 seconds. No account, no payment.
Tax figures use a simplified marginal model with indicative 2026 brackets for a non-US single filer, ignore social contributions, most deductions, wealth taxes, and treaties, and are not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.