San Diego Beats LA Area In ‘Best Big Cities’ Survey

San Diego is one of the five best big cities to call home, says a new study that places it well ahead of its Southern California neighbors.

WalletHub’s annual list ranked San Diego as the fifth-best major metropolis to live in, behind No. 1 Seattle and runners-up Virginia Beach, Austin and San Francisco.

The survey’s methodology gave San Diego high scores for education and health, quality of life and safety, although it placed 51st out of 62 in affordability.

Riverside topped all other Southern California cities at a middling No. 34, ranking high on the list of local economies but landing in the bottom five when it comes to quality of life, which incorporates everything from average commute time to the number of movie theaters per capita.

Los Angeles took the No. 36 spot, weighed down by its second-to-last ranking in overall affordability, beating only New York City, and placing dead last in housingaffordability. Anaheim (No. 38), Long Beach (No. 43) and Santa Ana (No. 53) also got poor marks for affordability, ranking in the bottom ten.

L.A. did tie for first in one very important category: most coffee shops per capita.

Read the full list here.