Irvine, CA vs Monterey, 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.

Irvine

67.2

#1452 nationally

Monterey

62.7

#1834 nationally

Monterey leads in average commute (19.1 min vs 25.8 min). Monterey leads in walk score (53 vs 44). Irvine leads in median household income ($116,519 vs $98,003).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Irvine, CA	Monterey, CA
WhereAtHome Score	67.2 (#1452)	62.7 (#1834)
Population	307,670	29,116
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,517,431	$1,179,065
Median Household Income	$116,519	$98,003
Average Commute	25.8 min	19.1 min
Walk Score	44	53
Crime Level	Very Low	10.5
School Rating	9.5	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	192
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+29.9