San Diego is the eight largest city in the United States, second-largest city in California and 46th largest city in the Americas. San Diego's economy is largely composed of agriculture, biotechnology/biosciences, computer sciences, electronics manufacturing, defence-related manufacturing, financial and business services, ship-repair, ship-construction, software development, telecommunications, wireless research, and tourism.

The United States of America (USA) is in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico. The climate is mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semi arid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest.

The official language is English. It is predominant in business circles throughout the US. The US has highly cosmopolitan immigrant communities, particularly in cities who speak many other languages. Spanish is widely spoken in districts of most cities, as well as areas near the Mexican border. The main religion is Christianity.

The economy of the United States is a capitalist mixed economy, fuelled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) equal to a quarter of nominal global GDP and a fifth of global GDP at purchasing power parity.

Expatriate business dress is generally formal, comprising jacket and tie for men and suits for women, although this may differ by industry and state.

The security risk for expatriates in the United States is low overall, but medium in low-income, inner-city areas. Risks include terrorism, opportunistic street crime (such as pickpocketing, bag-snatching, mugging and vehicle theft), and violent crime in low-income, inner-city areas. Other risks include hurricanes, forest fires, and snowstorms.

The currency of United States is the US Dollar (USD). Banking is on a par with the rest of Western Europe and North America.

Medical facilities are good, however the cost of treatment for expatriates can be high. Some hospitals may ask non-US residents to pay a deposit or ‘good faith’ payment on admittance.

The population of San Diego CA is 3.3 Million (Metro) (2018 est.), while the inflation rate (CPI) is 2.2% for the United States as at November 2018.

Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax for the USA is based on the current personal income tax rates using the Single Federal income tax 2018 marginal rates for individuals which are progressive up to 37%. In addition there are State and Local Taxes which vary across the USA. For Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax purposes we have used a combined average of State and Local Taxes of 6.5%. The combined maximum progressive Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax rate is therefore 43.5% based on Federal (37%) + State and Local Taxes (6.5%).

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in San Diego CA as at 1 January 2019 is very high in comparison to other places in the world.

San Diego CA is ranked as a minimal hardship location.