$1 million sounds like a lot of money, and can definitely buy you a whole lot in San Diego. But with daily costs increasing and inflation doing its thing, seven figures can start looking a little less valuable.
So, we looked at some current sticker prices of local goods to see just how much a hypothetical $1 million could get us (ex: enough guac for 222,000 tacos).
BTW, we’re happy to really conduct this experiment if someone wants to front us the cash.
🏠 Homes
The cost of housing is rising, but $1 million is enough to get your foot in the door — which door depends one where you live.
- A 1,144-sqft condo in Pacific Beach with two beds, two bathrooms, a community pool + ocean views from the balcony.
- A 1,586-sqft townhouse in Carlsbad with three beds, two bathrooms, two garage spaces, a covered patio, a community pool + tennis courts.
- A 1,853-sqft single family home in Poway with four beds, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, a covered patio + a solar roof.
Double double-doubles from In-N-Out. | Photo via @sandiegofoodiefan
🍔 Food
We’ve certainly got some luxury restaurants, but $1 million will keep you very well-fed.
- Tons of guacamole — you could buy 750,000 pounds of California-grown avocados, depending on the size of the fruits.
- A school of fish tacos, 222,717 Original Fish Tacos ordered a la carte from Rubio’s.
- Order a Double-Double from In-N-Out 210,526 times. We’re here if you’re sharing.
🔌 Energy
We know the cost of energy is rising, but not so much that you need to be a millionaire to keep things moving. With $1 million in our city you could buy:
- About 212,675 gallons of regular gas, 199,123 gallons of premium. We hope your tank is big enough, those prices change daily.
- 31 used cars to fill with that gas.
- At least 3,225,806 kilowatt hours of electricity from SDG&E. The rate is likely to change because it would take more than three lifetimes to use that much
🎟️ Tickets
Tickets can get pricey — luckily annual passes will save you some dough.
- Visit the San Diego Zoo 16,129 times, that’s a lot of rides on the Skyfari.
- 10,001 $99.99 single-day tickets to SeaWorld San Diego. That 1 cent really can make a difference when you’re a millionaire.
- 10,526 children can get into Legoland Theme Park with enough left over for one parent to supervise.
🏖️ Beach
A trip to the beach is free — looking like a San Diegan might cost a little extra.
- 4,000 Wavestorm 8-foot foam surfboards, enough for you + your 3,999 closest friends to learn to surf.
- 62,539 bottles of Sun Bum sunscreen — that’s 3,908 gallons of lotion so don’t be shy about reapplying.
- 20,408 new pairs of shades from San Diego-based Blenders Eyewear, and you’ve got plenty of style options.
🚤 Luxury
If you had $1 million, you’d be more likely to spend it on something exciting — but it’s still hard to spend it all in one place.
- Stay in a king-sized bed at the iconic Hotel del Coronado with an ocean view for 1,703 nights.
- Play 3,968 rounds of 18-holes golf at Torrey Pines on the weekend, but don’t forget to show your San Diego residency for a discount — now you can afford 12,820 games.
- Dock your 100-foot yacht at the Point Loma Marina for 224 months — 201 months if you’re living on it.
