Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Brea
47,337
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Brea
$124,837
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Brea
$874,300
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Brea
$2,285
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Brea
2.11
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Brea
222.6
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Brea
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Brea
5.2%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Brea?
Brea is Costa Mesa's #8 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Brea
47,337
Costa Mesa (110,538) is about 2.3x larger than Brea (47,337).
Violent Crime
Costa Mesa
7.39
Brea
2.11
Costa Mesa's violent crime is significantly higher than Brea's — 71% difference.
Property Crime
Costa Mesa
28.37
Brea
28.65
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Brea
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Brea
5.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Brea
$124,837
Brea has a 12% higher median income than Costa Mesa.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Brea
$874,300
Costa Mesa has a 17% higher home values than Brea.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Brea
34.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Brea
46.6%
Costa Mesa has a 12% higher demographics than Brea.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Brea
222.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Brea share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Brea
Costa Mesa leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Costa Mesa leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCosta Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 190.8 in Brea. Brea scores 322.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa scores 134.1 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 145.4 in Brea.
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 — Brea leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBrea has a owner-occupied of 60.3% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa. Brea has a vacancy rate of 3.7% compared to 4.7% in Costa Mesa. Brea has a single-family homes of 65.7% compared to 49.7% 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: 67,989 vs Brea: 24,699 for labor force. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 12.9% in Brea. Brea has a poverty rate of 6.4% compared to 8.9% in Costa Mesa.
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 UCRBrea has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.04 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Brea has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.11 compared to 7.39 in Costa Mesa. Brea has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.70 compared to 3.71 in Costa Mesa.
Violent 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 — Brea leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBrea has a bachelor's degree or higher of 34.9% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa. Brea has a high school diploma or higher of 44.9% 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 2.3x the size of Brea (47,337). Costa Mesa skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 39.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Brea
Healthcare — Costa Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCosta Mesa: 4 vs Brea: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby 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 0.2% in Brea. Costa Mesa has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.7% in Brea. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 12.9% in Brea.
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.