Brea, CA vs Chapel Hill, NC

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.

Brea

64.3

#1700 nationally

Chapel Hill

68.6

#1303 nationally

Chapel Hill leads in average commute (19.6 min vs 31.1 min). Brea leads in walk score (50 vs 34). Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $85,940).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	Chapel Hill, NC
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	68.6 (#1303)
Population	48,479	62,043
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$636,021
Median Household Income	$120,226	$85,940
Average Commute	31.1 min	19.6 min
Walk Score	50	34
Crime Level	5.8	4.7
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	133
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+51.1