Durham, NC vs Sunnyvale, 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

Sunnyvale

66.4

#1551 nationally

Sunnyvale leads in median household income ($168,924 vs $67,432). Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 205). Sunnyvale leads in walk score (54 vs 33).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Sunnyvale, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	66.4 (#1551)
Population	283,506	155,805
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$2,050,814
Median Household Income	$67,432	$168,924
Average Commute	22.8 min	25.6 min
Walk Score	33	54
Crime Level	Moderate	Low
School Rating	6.4	8.6
Cost of Living Index	102	205
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+40.0