Cities near San Diego, CA
Quick answer
The nearest major metro to San Diego is Riverside, CA, 89 miles north — roughly 1 hr 43 min by road. Its combined sales tax rate is 8.75% against 7.75% in San Diego.
Distance to nearby metros
Great-circle distance from the San Diego centroid (32.718, -117.159).
| Metro | Straight line | Est. drive | Direction | Combined rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside, CA | 88.8 mi | 1 hr 43 min | north | 8.75% |
| Anaheim, CA | 90.2 mi | 1 hr 45 min | northwest | 7.75% |
| Long Beach, CA | 93.9 mi | 1 hr 49 min | northwest | 10.25% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 107.1 mi | 2 hr 4 min | northwest | 9.5% |
| Bakersfield, CA | 212.8 mi | 4 hr 7 min | northwest | 8.25% |
Source: Place centroids: USGS/Census public-domain coordinates · rates as published for 2026
How these distances are calculated
Straight-line figures are great-circle distances between incorporated-place centroids using the haversine formula on a 3,958.76-mile mean-radius sphere — exact to within a few metres for this purpose. Drive time is an estimate: road distance is modelled at 1.2× the straight line (the standard North American circuity factor) at 62 mph for trips over 60 miles and 35 mph below that. It is not a routed itinerary and ignores traffic, terrain and tolls.