Boise, ID vs Costa Mesa, 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.

Boise

73.2

#766 nationally

Costa Mesa

60.6

#1929 nationally

Boise leads in cost of living index (104 vs 197). Costa Mesa leads in walk score (65 vs 38). Costa Mesa leads in median household income ($104,981 vs $82,500).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boise, ID	Costa Mesa, CA
WhereAtHome Score	73.2 (#766)	60.6 (#1929)
Population	237,963	108,354
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$507,649	$1,424,322
Median Household Income	$82,500	$104,981
Average Commute	19.1 min	21.9 min
Walk Score	38	65
Crime Level	Low	20.2
School Rating	7.8	N/A
Cost of Living Index	104	197
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+10.3	D+2.6