A million dollars goes a very different distance depending on where you're shopping. In San Diego, that budget lands you a solid but unremarkable single-family home well outside the coastal core. In cities like Indianapolis or Cleveland, the same money buys a large, updated home on acreage.
The comparison isn't really about home size, it's about job markets, climate, and long-term appreciation potential, all of which continue to draw buyers to coastal California markets despite the price gap.