Carlsbad, CA vs Knightdale, 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.

Carlsbad

62.6

#1838 nationally

vs

Knightdale

69.4

#1217 nationally

Knightdale leads in cost of living index (109 vs 202). Carlsbad leads in median household income ($134,139 vs $79,364). Knightdale leads in average commute (26.2 min vs 28.5 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric Carlsbad, CA Knightdale, NC
WhereAtHome Score 62.6 (#1838) 69.4 (#1217)
Population 113,495 20,275
Typical Home Value (ZHVI) $1,361,646 $370,252
Median Household Income $134,139 $79,364
Average Commute 28.5 min 26.2 min
Walk Score 31 N/A
Crime Level 5.5 5.3
School Rating N/A N/A
Cost of Living Index 202 109
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored D+16.8 D+25.6

Data coverage note: Knightdale is missing data for 1 metric that Carlsbad has. Scores with less coverage are penalized — see our methodology.