Durham, NC vs San Marcos, 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

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 166). San Marcos leads in median household income ($99,413 vs $67,432). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 26.7 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	283,506	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$953,736
Median Household Income	$67,432	$99,413
Average Commute	22.8 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	33	33
Crime Level	Moderate	6.1
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+16.8