Population

Costa Mesa

110,538

Albany

100,081

Median Income

Costa Mesa

$110,073

Albany

$59,485

Home Value

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

Albany

$223,000

Rent

Costa Mesa

$2,395

Albany

$1,178

Crime Rate

Costa Mesa

7.39

Albany

8.17

Cost of Living

Costa Mesa

218.8

Albany

110.4

Avg Temp

Costa Mesa

N/A

Albany

N/A

Unemployment

Costa Mesa

4.9%

Albany

8.3%

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How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Albany?

Albany is Costa Mesa's #19 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Costa Mesa

110,538

vs

Albany

100,081

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Costa Mesa at 110,538 and Albany at 100,081.

Violent Crime

Costa Mesa

7.39

vs

Albany

8.17

Match · 10% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 10% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Costa Mesa

28.37

vs

Albany

28.48

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 0% difference.

Political Leaning

Costa Mesa

47.1%

vs

Albany

37.1%

Different · 21% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Costa Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Costa Mesa

4.9%

vs

Albany

8.3%

Different · 41% difference

Albany has a 41% higher unemployment than Costa Mesa.

Median Income

Costa Mesa

$110,073

vs

Albany

$59,485

Different · 46% difference
💰

Costa Mesa has a 46% higher median income than Albany.

Home Values

🏠

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

vs

Albany

$223,000

Different · 79% difference

Costa Mesa's home values is significantly higher than Albany's — 79% difference.

Education

Costa Mesa

31.5%

vs

Albany

28.3%

Different · 10% difference
🎓

Costa Mesa has a 10% higher education than Albany.

Demographics

🌍

Costa Mesa

52.7%

vs

Albany

53.0%

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 0% difference.

Cost of Living

Costa Mesa

218.8

vs

Albany

110.4

Different · 50% difference
💵

Costa Mesa has a 50% higher cost of living than Albany.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Albany share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Costa Mesa

vsof 8

0

Albany

Costa Mesa leads in 6 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Albany leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Albany scores 139.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa. Albany has a living wage (1 adult) of $48,578 vs $96,281 in Costa Mesa (98% lower). Albany has a living wage (family of 4) of $114,821 vs $227,573 in Costa Mesa (98% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Costa Mesa218.8
Albany110.4

Housing Index

Costa Mesa360.6
Albany139.0

Food Index

Costa Mesa134.1
Albany95.5

Transportation Index

Costa Mesa115.1
Albany90.9

Healthcare Index

Costa Mesa127.3
Albany96.4

Utilities Index

Costa Mesa172.6
Albany105.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Costa Mesa$96,281
Albany$48,578

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Costa Mesa$227,573
Albany$114,821

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Costa Mesa$2,746
Albany$1,417

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Costa Mesa$3,236
Albany$1,702

Housing Market — Costa Mesa leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Costa Mesa has a median home value of $1,054,700 vs $223,000 in Albany (373% higher). Albany has a median rent of $1,178 vs $2,395 in Costa Mesa (103% lower). Costa Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 13.7% in Albany.

Median Home Value

Costa Mesa$1,054,700
Albany$223,000

Median Rent

Costa Mesa$2,395
Albany$1,178

Median Property Tax

Costa Mesa$6,676
Albany$5,235

Owner-Occupied

Costa Mesa39.4%
Albany37.9%

Vacancy Rate

Costa Mesa4.7%
Albany13.7%

Single-Family Homes

Costa Mesa49.7%
Albany32.2%

Jobs & Economy — Costa Mesa leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Costa Mesa has a median household income of $110,073 vs $59,485 in Albany (85% higher). Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 11.9% in Albany. Costa Mesa has a poverty rate of 8.9% compared to 23.4% in Albany.

Median Household Income

Costa Mesa$110,073
Albany$59,485

Per Capita Income

Costa Mesa$56,625
Albany$35,851

Poverty Rate

Costa Mesa8.9%
Albany23.4%

Unemployment Rate

Costa Mesa4.9%
Albany8.3%

Labor Force

Costa Mesa67,989
Albany55,465

Mean Commute

Costa Mesa18 min
AlbanyN/A

Work from Home

Costa Mesa20.0%
Albany11.9%

Private Sector

Costa Mesa98.7%
Albany74.6%

Government Sector

Costa Mesa45.7%
Albany33.2%

Crime & Safety — Costa Mesa leads

Source: FBI UCR

Costa Mesa has a property crime clearance of 19.0% compared to 10.9% in Albany. Costa Mesa has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.09 in Albany. Costa Mesa has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.75 compared to 1.79 in Albany.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa7.39
Albany8.17

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa28.37
Albany28.48

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa0.03
Albany0.09

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa0.75
Albany1.79

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa5.99
Albany5.56

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa3.71
Albany3.12

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa21.83
Albany22.51

Violent Crime Clearance

Costa Mesa52.7%
Albany37.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Costa Mesa19.0%
Albany10.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Avg Annual High

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Avg Annual Low

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Annual Rainfall

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Annual Snowfall

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Avg Humidity

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Schools & Education — Costa Mesa leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Costa Mesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.5% compared to 28.3% in Albany. Costa Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 43.5% compared to 41.1% in Albany.

Public Schools

Costa Mesa0
Albany0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Costa MesaN/A
AlbanyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Costa Mesa0
Albany0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Costa Mesa31.5%
Albany28.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Costa Mesa43.5%
Albany41.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Costa Mesa has a population of 110,538, about 1.1x the size of Albany (100,081). Albany skews younger with a median age of 31.9 vs 36.5.

Population

Costa Mesa110,538
Albany100,081

Median Age

Costa Mesa37
Albany32

Avg Household Size

Costa Mesa2.6
Albany2.0

Married Population

Costa Mesa36.8%
Albany25.3%

Foreign Born

Costa Mesa22.8%
Albany15.0%

White

Costa Mesa52.7%
Albany53.0%

Black

Costa Mesa1.6%
Albany26.6%

Hispanic

Costa Mesa36.4%
Albany10.7%

Asian

Costa Mesa8.8%
Albany7.9%

Costa Mesa

Albany

Healthcare — Costa Mesa leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Costa Mesa: 3.3 vs Albany: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Costa Mesa5
Albany5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Costa Mesa3.3
Albany2.8

With Emergency Services

Costa Mesa4
Albany4

Transportation & Commute — Costa Mesa leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Albany has a public transit of 10.9% compared to 1.6% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.6% in Albany. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 11.9% in Albany.

Mean Commute Time

Costa Mesa18 min
AlbanyN/A

Drive Alone

Costa Mesa65.3%
Albany54.9%

Public Transit

Costa Mesa1.6%
Albany10.9%

Bicycle

Costa Mesa1.0%
Albany0.6%

Work from Home

Costa Mesa20.0%
Albany11.9%

Airports

Costa Mesa0
Albany0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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