Vista, CA vs San Marcos, CA

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

MetricVista, CASan Marcos, CA
Population99,11494,882
Median Household Income$94,975$109,377
Median Rent$2,249/mo$2,348/mo
Median Home Value$762,400$868,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)112112
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income57.6%61.7%
Poverty Rate10.5%9.2%
Unemployment Rate4.4%4.2%
Violent Crime Rate /100k208106
Property Crime Rate /100k550397
Median AQI6767
Good AQI Days /yr6464
Summer Highs78°F86°F
Winter Lows46°F45°F
Snowfall0 in/yr0 in/yr
Avg Commute26.7 min26.5 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—4.0 / 5
Students per Teacher20.924.3
College Degree Rate29.3%43.8%
Foreign-Born %22.5%22.3%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-0.5%+0.1%

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