Brea, CA vs San Marcos, TX

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

San Marcos

70.5

#1100 nationally

Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $47,394). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (100 vs 178). Brea leads in crime level (5.8 vs 9.8).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	San Marcos, TX
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	70.5 (#1100)
Population	48,479	71,569
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$310,480
Median Household Income	$120,226	$47,394
Average Commute	31.1 min	23.7 min
Walk Score	50	39
Crime Level	5.8	9.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	100
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+5.6