Durham, NC vs Irvine, 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.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Irvine

67.2

#1452 nationally

Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 178). Irvine leads in median household income ($116,519 vs $67,432). Irvine leads in school rating (9.5 vs 6.4).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Irvine, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	67.2 (#1452)
Population	283,506	307,670
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$1,517,431
Median Household Income	$67,432	$116,519
Average Commute	22.8 min	25.8 min
Walk Score	33	44
Crime Level	Moderate	Very Low
School Rating	6.4	9.5
Cost of Living Index	102	178
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+2.6