Population

Cambridge

117,794

Costa Mesa

110,538

Median Income

Cambridge

$126,469

Costa Mesa

$110,073

Home Value

Cambridge

$1,040,500

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

Rent

Cambridge

$2,742

Costa Mesa

$2,395

Crime Rate

Cambridge

4.37

Costa Mesa

7.39

Cost of Living

Cambridge

230.9

Costa Mesa

218.8

Avg Temp

Cambridge

N/A

Costa Mesa

N/A

Unemployment

Cambridge

3.4%

Costa Mesa

4.9%

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How Similar Are Cambridge & Costa Mesa?

Costa Mesa is Cambridge's #7 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Cambridge

117,794

vs

Costa Mesa

110,538

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Cambridge at 117,794 and Costa Mesa at 110,538.

Violent Crime

Cambridge

4.37

vs

Costa Mesa

7.39

Different · 41% difference
🚨

Costa Mesa has a 41% higher violent crime than Cambridge.

Property Crime

🔒

Cambridge

26.44

vs

Costa Mesa

28.37

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.

Political Leaning

Cambridge

29.0%

vs

Costa Mesa

47.1%

Different · 38% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Costa Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (38% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Cambridge

3.4%

vs

Costa Mesa

4.9%

Different · 31% difference

Costa Mesa has a 31% higher unemployment than Cambridge.

Median Income

Cambridge

$126,469

vs

Costa Mesa

$110,073

Different · 13% difference
💰

Cambridge has a 13% higher median income than Costa Mesa.

Home Values

🏠

Cambridge

$1,040,500

vs

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.

Education

Cambridge

54.1%

vs

Costa Mesa

31.5%

Different · 42% difference
🎓

Cambridge has a 42% higher education than Costa Mesa.

Demographics

🌍

Cambridge

57.5%

vs

Costa Mesa

52.7%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Cambridge

230.9

vs

Costa Mesa

218.8

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Cambridge and Costa Mesa share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Cambridge

vsof 8

0

Costa Mesa

Cambridge leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Costa Mesa leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Costa Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 127.9 in Cambridge. Cambridge has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,476 vs $2,746 in Costa Mesa (10% lower). Costa Mesa scores 134.1 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 146.7 in Cambridge.

Overall Cost Index

Cambridge230.9
Costa Mesa218.8

Housing Index

Cambridge368.2
Costa Mesa360.6

Food Index

Cambridge146.7
Costa Mesa134.1

Transportation Index

Cambridge127.9
Costa Mesa115.1

Healthcare Index

Cambridge137.3
Costa Mesa127.3

Utilities Index

Cambridge181.6
Costa Mesa172.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Cambridge$101,609
Costa Mesa$96,281

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Cambridge$240,167
Costa Mesa$227,573

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Cambridge$2,476
Costa Mesa$2,746

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Cambridge$2,941
Costa Mesa$3,236

Housing Market — Costa Mesa leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Costa Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 9.2% in Cambridge. Costa Mesa has a single-family homes of 49.7% compared to 16.4% in Cambridge. Cambridge has a median property tax of $4,472 vs $6,676 in Costa Mesa (33% lower).

Median Home Value

Cambridge$1,040,500
Costa Mesa$1,054,700

Median Rent

Cambridge$2,742
Costa Mesa$2,395

Median Property Tax

Cambridge$4,472
Costa Mesa$6,676

Owner-Occupied

Cambridge33.7%
Costa Mesa39.4%

Vacancy Rate

Cambridge9.2%
Costa Mesa4.7%

Single-Family Homes

Cambridge16.4%
Costa Mesa49.7%

Jobs & Economy — Cambridge leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cambridge has a work from home of 28.3% compared to 20.0% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a poverty rate of 8.9% compared to 12.4% in Cambridge. Cambridge has a per capita income of $76,789 vs $56,625 in Costa Mesa (36% higher).

Median Household Income

Cambridge$126,469
Costa Mesa$110,073

Per Capita Income

Cambridge$76,789
Costa Mesa$56,625

Poverty Rate

Cambridge12.4%
Costa Mesa8.9%

Unemployment Rate

Cambridge3.4%
Costa Mesa4.9%

Labor Force

Cambridge73,004
Costa Mesa67,989

Mean Commute

Cambridge19 min
Costa Mesa18 min

Work from Home

Cambridge28.3%
Costa Mesa20.0%

Private Sector

Cambridge81.8%
Costa Mesa98.7%

Government Sector

Cambridge45.0%
Costa Mesa45.7%

Crime & Safety — Cambridge leads

Source: FBI UCR

Cambridge has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.03 in Costa Mesa. Cambridge has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.11 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a property crime clearance of 19.0% compared to 11.1% in Cambridge.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge4.37
Costa Mesa7.39

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge26.44
Costa Mesa28.37

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge0.00
Costa Mesa0.03

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge0.91
Costa Mesa0.75

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge3.11
Costa Mesa5.99

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge2.37
Costa Mesa3.71

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Cambridge23.23
Costa Mesa21.83

Violent Crime Clearance

Cambridge43.5%
Costa Mesa52.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Cambridge11.1%
Costa Mesa19.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Avg Annual High

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Avg Annual Low

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Annual Rainfall

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Annual Snowfall

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Avg Humidity

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Schools & Education — Cambridge leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Cambridge has a bachelor's degree or higher of 54.1% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa. Cambridge has a high school diploma or higher of 58.1% compared to 43.5% in Costa Mesa.

Public Schools

Cambridge0
Costa Mesa0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

CambridgeN/A
Costa MesaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Cambridge0
Costa Mesa0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Cambridge54.1%
Costa Mesa31.5%

High School Diploma or Higher

Cambridge58.1%
Costa Mesa43.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cambridge has a population of 117,794, about 1.1x the size of Costa Mesa (110,538). Cambridge skews younger with a median age of 30.5 vs 36.5.

Population

Cambridge117,794
Costa Mesa110,538

Median Age

Cambridge31
Costa Mesa37

Avg Household Size

Cambridge2.1
Costa Mesa2.6

Married Population

Cambridge29.4%
Costa Mesa36.8%

Foreign Born

Cambridge28.8%
Costa Mesa22.8%

White

Cambridge57.5%
Costa Mesa52.7%

Black

Cambridge10.5%
Costa Mesa1.6%

Hispanic

Cambridge8.9%
Costa Mesa36.4%

Asian

Cambridge19.7%
Costa Mesa8.8%

Cambridge

Costa Mesa

Healthcare — Cambridge leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Cambridge: 4.3 vs Costa Mesa: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Cambridge5
Costa Mesa5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Cambridge4.3
Costa Mesa3.3

With Emergency Services

Cambridge4
Costa Mesa4

Transportation & Commute — Cambridge leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cambridge has a public transit of 19.4% compared to 1.6% in Costa Mesa. Cambridge has a bicycle of 7.3% compared to 1.0% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a drive alone of 65.3% compared to 20.9% in Cambridge.

Mean Commute Time

Cambridge19 min
Costa Mesa18 min

Drive Alone

Cambridge20.9%
Costa Mesa65.3%

Public Transit

Cambridge19.4%
Costa Mesa1.6%

Bicycle

Cambridge7.3%
Costa Mesa1.0%

Work from Home

Cambridge28.3%
Costa Mesa20.0%

Airports

Cambridge0
Costa Mesa0

Cities Similar to Cambridge, MA

Compare Cambridge against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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