Rank #21 of 33
San Diego, CA
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
9.1
Tacos per hour at the local median wage
$3.00
Avg taco price
$27.20
Median hourly wage (2024)
$3.50
Fast-casual taqueria
$2.49
Taco Bell crunchy taco
San Diego sits below the national average. An hour of local work buys 9.1 tacos here, compared with 9.3 tacos per hour across the 33-city index (−0.2 vs national average).
Local note
San Diego's proximity to Tijuana shapes the local taco scene, with the city's signature adobada style imported directly from across the border. Prices vary widely — Tacos El Gordo sets a low anchor near $2.60 while many beach-area taquerias run $4–5.
Where the numbers come from
Fast-casual: Tacos El Gordo ($2.60 in-store adobada anchor), Salud Tacos (Barrio Logan), Taqueria Revolucion. Chain: Taco Bell crunchy taco $2.49 (CA FAST Act premium). Note: SD has wide variance — Tacos El Gordo's $2.60 is unusually low while many beach taquerias run $4–5.
Average taco price ($3.00) is $0.23 above the national average of $2.77.
How this is calculated. Tacos per hour = median hourly wage ÷ average taco price.
Average taco price is the mean of the fast-casual taqueria anchor and the local Taco Bell crunchy taco price.
Wages come from BLS OEWS, May 2024, MSA-level median for all occupations.
Full methodology.