Chico, CA 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.

Chico

66.4

#1544 nationally

Costa Mesa

60.6

#1929 nationally

Costa Mesa leads in median household income ($104,981 vs $65,932). Chico leads in cost of living index (133 vs 197). Costa Mesa leads in walk score (65 vs 49).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Chico, CA	Costa Mesa, CA
WhereAtHome Score	66.4 (#1544)	60.6 (#1929)
Population	101,301	108,354
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$464,980	$1,424,322
Median Household Income	$65,932	$104,981
Average Commute	17.5 min	21.9 min
Walk Score	49	65
Crime Level	19.2	20.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	133	197
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+3.1	D+2.6