Arcadia, CA vs San Marcos, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Arcadia

60.7

#1926 nationally

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

Arcadia leads in walk score (54 vs 33). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (166 vs 225). San Marcos leads in average commute (26.7 min vs 30.5 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Arcadia, CA	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	60.7 (#1926)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	54,157	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,395,544	$953,736
Median Household Income	$108,214	$99,413
Average Commute	30.5 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	54	33
Crime Level	6.3	6.1
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	225	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+32.9	D+16.8