Comparing quality of life in San Diego and Tokyo

¶ … urban sociology at academies such as the University of Chicago has focused largely upon such theoretical factors as the development of urban areas, the functioning of human community within cities, the flow of capital in urban economies, and the like. In a recent reader on urban sociology edited by Lin and Mele (2005), for example, the essays are grouped to highlight such themes as city structures and identity concerns of people living in the city. While these themes are the proper domain of urban sociology, and they are necessary to theoretically capture the modern essence of life in cities, they do not capture what most people who are considering where to live want to know. When Forbes publishes its intermittent rankings of the most livable cities in the U.S., for example, they deal exclusively with what are called quality of life issues (Greenburg, 2009). These include such factors as cost of living, quality of education and cultural venues, natural environmental factors such as clean air, and similar concerns. While these factors may be, of course, driven by the traditional concerns of urban sociology, they are in some ways more immediate and less theoretical. The underlying theories of teeming populations and identity issues closely related to equality realities are important to weigh, because as Kotkin (2009) argues, "It seems to me what makes for great cities in history are not measurements of safety, sanitation or homogeneity but economic growth, cultural diversity and social dynamism." But in many ways the practical concerns and quality of life issues of city life play a more important role in decisions about where to live than do theoretical concerns.

This paper will consider practical and quality of life for two major urban centers that the author is considering for a permanent home, San Diego, California and Tokyo, Japan. The concerns chosen as key decision factors include cost of living expenses such as housing, food, and utilities, quality of and access to public service concerns such as transportation and healthcare, and environmental factors such as climate, recreation, and safety. Factors related to each of these three major areas of concerns will be summarized according to available research data, and comparisons will be designed to allow the researcher to make a decision about which city would be preferable.

Methods of Comparison

Because of the difficulty of comparing the two cities side-by-side, complicated by such factors as currency fluctuations and availability of rankings for both cities within the same survey data sets, this study presents only a qualitative, relative comparison. The researcher utilized the best available data and made, when no other was available, comparisons with a general model of what a city ought to provide. Such are the difficulties that exist when making comparisons of even major cities in different regions of the world. Kotkin points out this difficulty when he expresses a preference for cities that are less orderly and less homogeneous than those found near the top of rankings in some of the standard quality of livability ranking lists. If such concerns as culture and economy are difficult to standardize, however, they can be described and compared in a qualitative fashion. That is what has been done here with a few notable exceptions. Where economic figures are available that can be standardized, I have done so. In other considerations, such as cultural and infrastructure concerns, I have summarized information from a wide reading of different sources readily available online and elsewhere.

Cost of Living

Tokyo has consistently ranked near the top of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live. However, San Diego also ranks relatively high on many lists. Coleman (2009) ranks cities around the world based on such factors as housing, food, transportation, and the like, as a service for expatriates considering international cities for relocation purposes. He ranks Tokyo as the most expensive city in the world, and San Diego is ranked at #68. This is perhaps the best available comparison of the overall cost of living comparison between the two cities. From this ranking comparison, it can be surmised that both cities are costly places in which to live.

The median home price in San Diego is just under $430,000. While there are neighborhoods and communities in the city that have smaller costs, the housing costs are high everywhere relative to many other cities in the U.S. In fact, the total cost of living in the city is more than 45% higher than in the U.S. generally (Sperling's Best Places, 2009). In a 2005 comparison of San Diego's financial statistics to other big and small cities, Money found that San Diego had a much higher cost of housing than most other cities, a relatively lower average salary (just above $50,000 annually), with high taxes. This suggests that the reasons that many people live in San Diego revolve around factors other than costs of living. San Diego seems to have a higher cost of living than its income statistics can support.

The average house in Tokyo costs $500,000. Most single people rent rather than own, with the standard arrangement consisting of a small room for about $500 per month that would require using public bath and toilet facilities at additional costs of perhaps $100 per month. However, for a Western-style expat apartment, the costs would be closer to $11,000 per month. Obviously this suggests that the costs for expats attempting to live a Western lifestyle are very high. The housing and transportation costs are among the highest expenses. Food and beverage costs are relatively low with, for example, a soda typically costing about $1.50. Utilities costs are also generally low, with a monthly gas bill being under $100 (PriceCheckTokyo, 2009). Therefore, if a person is willing to live in a manner similar to the Japanese native, and forego the comfort demands of western-style housing, the costs can be relatively affordable.

All of this, of course, is determined by where one lives and what other factors are present. Cheaper housing can be found in both Tokyo and San Diego, if one is willing to live in an area that is further from entertainment, less safe, and the like.

Environment

San Diego has one of the great natural environments of any American city. The climate is warm and sunny for much of the year. Because of the city's being situated near the ocean with its attendant breezes, the air pollution is not as bad as it might otherwise be (since San Diego has a car-based transportation system). The city has several professional sports teams and a number of vibrant city entertainment options, including many that support an almost year-round outdoor lifestyle. There is a strong Hispanic influence in San Diego, with pageants and food that reflect the local culture, but also a strong military presence that ensures a family orientation to much of what goes on in the city. The only real downside environmentally is a relatively higher crime rate. While violent crime is not necessarily higher than for the U.S. As a whole, it is still higher than that found in Tokyo due to the well-studied differences in American and Japanese cultural proclivities toward crime. More importantly, crimes against property, and specifically auto theft, are much higher in San Diego than they are elsewhere in the U.S., partly due to the city's close proximity to Mexico.

Tokyo has greater climate fluctuations than San Diego, with more humidity that causes less desirable weather in both winter and summer. However, because of the city has a commitment to mass transit its air quality is as good as or better than San Diego's. The city has many options for nightlife and entertainment, but the Japanese culture and economy push many of these options toward the nighttime. Also, there is less opportunity for outdoor activities year-round in Tokyo. The crime rate is Tokyo is famous for being almost non-existent. This means that residents do not have to worry greatly when moving about the city at different times of day or night. Therefore the environmental factors support a person taking in the whole city based upon their own efforts to find and see venues. This is different from San Diego, which relies a bit more on the American model of going into city centers for large venues with the protection of crowds, and then retreating to local neighborhoods for carrying on with daily lifestyles.

Conclusions

While both cities are costly, Tokyo is moreso, unless one is willing to live a minimal lifestyle at home and spend one' time in public space otherwise. San Diego offers a vibrant health-oriented lifestyle, but less-desirable healthcare. Tokyo is clean and modern, but one has to commute a great deal about the whole city. San Diego is warmer, but less safe. These conflicting considerations can complicate one's choice of where to live. In the end, it all comes down to what one wants out a city and what is willing to put up with in order to get it. This researcher is, after comparing the two cities through a wide variety of reaings, likely going to move to Tokyo and live a simple life at home, so that a vibrant life in the city can be within his grasp.