Encinitas, CA 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.

Encinitas

63.4

#1769 nationally

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

Encinitas leads in median household income ($142,506 vs $99,413). Encinitas leads in walk score (43 vs 33). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (166 vs 215).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Encinitas, CA	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.4 (#1769)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	60,841	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,932,178	$953,736
Median Household Income	$142,506	$99,413
Average Commute	24.5 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	43	33
Crime Level	5.9	6.1
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	215	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+16.8	D+16.8