Below is the transcription for this video.
Have you been trying to figure out what the latest cost of living is in San Antonio because you're thinking about moving here? Well, that's our topic today. Let's talk about it.
Welcome to San Antonio Homes Insider. I'm Pam Roberts, owner and realtor for The Gateway Group. On our channel, we give buyer tips and selling secrets for the real estate market. Chances are if you're looking to move to San Antonio, you've already explored a lot of the things about San Antonio, but now you're wanting to take a deeper dive into what it costs to live here. In today's video, we're going to do a comparison of what it costs to live in San Diego versus San Antonio.
Gas prices
People are moving to San Antonio from all over the United States, not just California. Although, we do hear a lot about Californians moving to Texas. And if you're moving from another area, we're going to share with you how to find out this information no matter where you live. First, let's talk about something that's on everybody's mind and that's gas prices. Gasbuddy.com is a tool that we use to look at gas prices across the US. San Antonio is currently at $3.69 versus San Diego at $5.29. Looking at a typical tank of gas, about 15 gallons, you're looking at almost a $25 savings per fill up at the gas station.
Daily Expenses (Groceries, Consumer Goods, Dining, Rent)
Next, we're going to talk about your day to day pocket book and how that is affected, your groceries, your consumer prices, things like rent and restaurants. For this, we're using a website called numboo.com. San Diego prices are higher in every single category. Take a look at this. Groceries, 33% higher, consumer goods, almost 24% higher, restaurants, 18% higher and rent, almost double the cost.
Mortgage Costs
When it comes to owning your own home, this is where San Antonio really shines. In San Diego, you'll need to allocate about 41% of your income to your mortgage versus San Antonio at only about 15%. There's actually quite a few pros and cons for moving to San Antonio and we did a video about that. We'll link it in the description above.
Housing Comparison
Our next cost of living comparison is home pricing. We looked at information from Zillow, Realtor.com and also a system called Infosparks. We're comparing the data from these sites from January of 2022. The average price of a home in San Antonio is just under $350,000, and the medium price per square foot is about $150, which is up about 16% versus last year. By comparison, the average price of a home in San Diego is just under $850,000. The medium price per square foot is a whopping $625. That difference in price per square foot is huge and we're going to show you exactly how that translates to your buying power.
Here's a current listing in San Diego for just under $850,000 and it's three bedrooms, one bath. By comparison, this one in San Antonio is also just under $850,000 and it's a three bedroom, two and a half bath. The San Diego property is tiny at 836 square feet. The one in San Antonio is spacious at 2686 square feet with details such as the stone fireplace. The kitchen in the San Diego home has been updated, but it's still very basic. The gourmet kitchen in the San Antonio home has an island and custom cabinetry, and here's the master closet. Oops, that must be the master bedroom. And remember, this house only has one bathroom, so that's shared with guests and the kids.
Now, this is what I call a master retreat. It's light and bright with lots of windows and also has a tray ceiling. There's no need to share the bathroom in this en suite. There's double vanities and also a separate tub and shower. The San Diego home has no yard and it's 0.04 of an acre. They are making the best of it with this outdoor patio. Texas is known for its wide open spaces and this home sits on 1.32 acres. It also has a pool, and as a bonus, it has its own outdoor kitchen. So when you look at the San Antonio home versus the San Diego home, which one would you choose?
Your Paycheck
Now, I want to take a look at your paycheck and how that affects your buying power. We're looking at a website called payscale.com and their cost of living analysis. In this example, we're using $65,000 as your annual salary in San Diego. Here in San Antonio, it'd be less than $40,000 to maintain that same standard of living. When it comes to your paycheck, this calculation says that it's 40% lower to live in San Antonio and housing is almost 68% lower.
We've given you so much great data about why the cost of living is better here in Texas. So what are you waiting for? Reach out to us today and let's get you started with your move to Texas. If you want more information about moving to San Antonio, check out our link below for the relocation guide. It'll give you lots of information about where to live as well as the amenities that are available in our city, and as always, have a great day.
