San Diego, CA vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA spends 54% more per resident than Miami, FL: $43,306 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: San Diego, CA and Miami, FL both land at 53/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Diego, CA at 39% of total revenue, whereas Miami, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
San Diego spends 53.6% more per capita than Miami ($15,111/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $124 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $0 |
| Other | $3,801 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $7,399 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $0 |
| Education | $2,005 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $109 |
| Health | $411 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $699 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $1,295 |
| Other | $17,509 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.