Costa Mesa, CA vs Irvine, CA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricCosta Mesa, CAIrvine, CA
Population110,330311,690
Median Household Income$111,505$136,719
Median Rent$2,446/mo$2,997/mo
Median Home Value$1,115,100$1,191,500
Cost of Living (US = 100)114114
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income51.5%50.2%
Poverty Rate9.1%10.8%
Unemployment Rate3.7%4.2%
Violent Crime Rate /100k54379
Property Crime Rate /100k2,0941,155
Median AQI5353
Good AQI Days /yr138138
Summer Highs78°F84°F
Winter Lows49°F44°F
Snowfall0 in/yr0 in/yr
Avg Commute22.4 min24.7 min
Hospitals11
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher17.126.4
College Degree Rate45%70.6%
Foreign-Born %22.3%39.8%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-2.9%+3.6%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.