- Cities
- United States
- San Diego
How walkable is San Diego?
San Diego has a walkability score of 98 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 3rd most walkable of 15 cities ranked in the United States.
What's within walking distance
1,953 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central San Diego. The nearest grocery is Life S Investments, about 2 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks, schools and books & libraries.
- Life S Investments140 m · 2 min
- Stehly Farms Market, Llc210 m · 3 min
- Bi Rite Market580 m · 7 min
- Phil's BBQ - San Diego Int'l. Airport310 m · 4 min
- Hodad's Jr Catering320 m · 4 min
- Orexi330 m · 4 min
- Californiacated Beauty180 m · 2 min
- San Ysidro Premium Outlets250 m · 3 min
- United Oil260 m · 3 min
- Grind Coffee Shop140 m · 2 min
- Caffe Caritazza250 m · 3 min
- Kenzi Coffee and Tea Garden380 m · 5 min
- California Bank Of Commerce620 m · 8 min
- California Coast Credit Union Downtown San Diego Branch730 m · 9 min
- Banc of California770 m · 10 min
- Amici Park130 m · 2 min
- Little Italy Dog Park200 m · 2 min
- Piazza della Famiglia410 m · 5 min
- Col Solomon Cdc180 m · 2 min
- Washington Elementary School250 m · 3 min
- Kiddie Hall330 m · 4 min
- Our Lady's Gifts420 m · 5 min
- Library Towers1.0 km · 13 min
- San Diego Law Library1.1 km · 14 min
- Tin Can Alehouse550 m · 7 min
- San Diego Firehouse Museum550 m · 7 min
- San Diego Opera940 m · 12 min
Measured from the representative point at 32.7247, -117.1647. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 104 street intersections per km², and blocks average 92 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 75 to 100, and San Diego's score of 98 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 100 | Map |
| 1 km north | 98 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 98 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 100 | Map |
| 1 km south | 82 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 85 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 75 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tijuana, Mexico | 28 km | 81 |
| Mexicali, Mexico | 161 km | 88 |
| Los Angeles, United States | 179 km | 97 |
| Phoenix, United States | 482 km | 88 |
| Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | 1,014 km | 82 |
Questions about walking in San Diego
Is San Diego a walkable city?
Yes. Central San Diego has a walkability score of 98 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 3rd of 15 cities in the United States and 59th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United States?
Philadelphia is the most walkable of the 15 cities ranked in the United States, with a score of 100. San Diego ranks 3rd with 98.
How does San Diego compare with nearby cities?
San Diego is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: San Diego scores 98, against Tijuana (81, 28 km away), Mexicali (88, 161 km away) and Los Angeles (97, 179 km away).
How is San Diego's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For San Diego it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.