Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Alafaya
90,874
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Alafaya
$98,289
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Alafaya
$391,900
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Alafaya
$1,834
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Alafaya
N/A
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Alafaya
158.2
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Alafaya
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Alafaya
5.2%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Alafaya?
Alafaya is Costa Mesa's #23 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Alafaya
90,874
Costa Mesa has a 18% larger population than Alafaya.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Alafaya
42.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 10% difference.
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Alafaya
5.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Alafaya
$98,289
Costa Mesa has a 11% higher median income than Alafaya.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Alafaya
$391,900
Costa Mesa's home values is significantly higher than Alafaya's — 63% difference.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Alafaya
32.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Alafaya
53.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Alafaya
158.2
Costa Mesa has a 28% higher cost of living than Alafaya.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Alafaya share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Alafaya
Alafaya leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Alafaya leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAlafaya scores 196.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa. Alafaya has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,972 vs $3,236 in Costa Mesa (64% lower). Alafaya has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,731 vs $2,746 in Costa Mesa (59% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Alafaya leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a median home value of $1,054,700 vs $391,900 in Alafaya (169% higher). Alafaya has a median property tax of $3,120 vs $6,676 in Costa Mesa (114% lower). Alafaya has a owner-occupied of 65.1% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Costa Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a per capita income of $56,625 vs $40,229 in Alafaya (41% higher). Costa Mesa: 67,989 vs Alafaya: 52,460 for labor force. Costa Mesa has a median household income of $110,073 vs $98,289 in Alafaya (12% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Alafaya leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAlafaya has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.9% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa. Alafaya has a high school diploma or higher of 44.8% compared to 43.5% in Costa Mesa.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a population of 110,538, about 1.2x the size of Alafaya (90,874).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Alafaya
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Costa Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.1% in Alafaya. Costa Mesa has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.1% in Alafaya. Alafaya has a drive alone of 68.7% compared to 65.3% in Costa Mesa.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Costa Mesa, CA
Compare Costa Mesa 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.