Brea, CA vs Monterey, 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.

Brea

64.3

#1700 nationally

Monterey

62.7

#1834 nationally

Brea leads in crime level (5.8 vs 10.5). Monterey leads in average commute (19.1 min vs 31.1 min). Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $98,003).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	Monterey, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	62.7 (#1834)
Population	48,479	29,116
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$1,179,065
Median Household Income	$120,226	$98,003
Average Commute	31.1 min	19.1 min
Walk Score	50	53
Crime Level	5.8	10.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	192
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+29.9