Orange, 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.

Orange

63.3

#1780 nationally

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

Orange leads in walk score (51 vs 33). Orange leads in median household income ($109,335 vs $99,413). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (166 vs 178).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Orange, CA	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.3 (#1780)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	138,337	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,136,729	$953,736
Median Household Income	$109,335	$99,413
Average Commute	26.5 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	51	33
Crime Level	6.2	6.1
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+16.8