Orange, CA vs San Marcos, TX

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

70.5

#1100 nationally

Orange leads in median household income ($109,335 vs $47,394). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (100 vs 178). Orange leads in crime level (6.2 vs 9.8).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Orange, CA	San Marcos, TX
WhereAtHome Score	63.3 (#1780)	70.5 (#1100)
Population	138,337	71,569
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,136,729	$310,480
Median Household Income	$109,335	$47,394
Average Commute	26.5 min	23.7 min
Walk Score	51	39
Crime Level	6.2	9.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	100
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+5.6