Population

Costa Mesa

110,538

Cambridge

117,794

Median Income

Costa Mesa

$110,073

Cambridge

$126,469

Home Value

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

Cambridge

$1,040,500

Rent

Costa Mesa

$2,395

Cambridge

$2,742

Crime Rate

Costa Mesa

7.39

Cambridge

4.37

Cost of Living

Costa Mesa

218.8

Cambridge

230.9

Avg Temp

Costa Mesa

N/A

Cambridge

N/A

Unemployment

Costa Mesa

4.9%

Cambridge

3.4%

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How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Cambridge?

Cambridge is Costa Mesa's #6 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Costa Mesa

110,538

vs

Cambridge

117,794

Match · 6% difference

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

Violent Crime

Costa Mesa

7.39

vs

Cambridge

4.37

Different · 41% difference
🚨

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

Property Crime

🔒

Costa Mesa

28.37

vs

Cambridge

26.44

Match · 7% difference

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

Political Leaning

Costa Mesa

47.1%

vs

Cambridge

29.0%

Different · 38% difference
🗳️

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

Unemployment

💼

Costa Mesa

4.9%

vs

Cambridge

3.4%

Different · 31% difference

Costa Mesa has a 31% higher unemployment than Cambridge.

Median Income

Costa Mesa

$110,073

vs

Cambridge

$126,469

Different · 13% difference
💰

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

Home Values

🏠

Costa Mesa

$1,054,700

vs

Cambridge

$1,040,500

Match · 1% difference

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

Education

Costa Mesa

31.5%

vs

Cambridge

54.1%

Different · 42% difference
🎓

Cambridge has a 42% higher education than Costa Mesa.

Demographics

🌍

Costa Mesa

52.7%

vs

Cambridge

57.5%

Match · 8% difference

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

Cost of Living

Costa Mesa

218.8

vs

Cambridge

230.9

Match · 5% difference
💵

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

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

At a Glance

0

Costa Mesa

vsof 8

0

Cambridge

Cambridge leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Costa Mesa leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Cambridge has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,476 vs $2,746 in Costa Mesa (11% lower). Cambridge has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,941 vs $3,236 in Costa Mesa (10% lower). Costa Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 127.9 in Cambridge.

Overall Cost Index

Costa Mesa218.8
Cambridge230.9

Housing Index

Costa Mesa360.6
Cambridge368.2

Food Index

Costa Mesa134.1
Cambridge146.7

Transportation Index

Costa Mesa115.1
Cambridge127.9

Healthcare Index

Costa Mesa127.3
Cambridge137.3

Utilities Index

Costa Mesa172.6
Cambridge181.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Costa Mesa$96,281
Cambridge$101,609

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Costa Mesa$227,573
Cambridge$240,167

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Costa Mesa$2,746
Cambridge$2,476

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Costa Mesa$3,236
Cambridge$2,941

Housing Market — Costa Mesa leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

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 (49% lower). Costa Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 9.2% in Cambridge.

Median Home Value

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

Median Rent

Costa Mesa$2,395
Cambridge$2,742

Median Property Tax

Costa Mesa$6,676
Cambridge$4,472

Owner-Occupied

Costa Mesa39.4%
Cambridge33.7%

Vacancy Rate

Costa Mesa4.7%
Cambridge9.2%

Single-Family Homes

Costa Mesa49.7%
Cambridge16.4%

Jobs & Economy — Cambridge leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cambridge has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 4.9% in Costa Mesa. 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.

Median Household Income

Costa Mesa$110,073
Cambridge$126,469

Per Capita Income

Costa Mesa$56,625
Cambridge$76,789

Poverty Rate

Costa Mesa8.9%
Cambridge12.4%

Unemployment Rate

Costa Mesa4.9%
Cambridge3.4%

Labor Force

Costa Mesa67,989
Cambridge73,004

Mean Commute

Costa Mesa18 min
Cambridge19 min

Work from Home

Costa Mesa20.0%
Cambridge28.3%

Private Sector

Costa Mesa98.7%
Cambridge81.8%

Government Sector

Costa Mesa45.7%
Cambridge45.0%

Crime & Safety — Cambridge leads

Source: FBI UCR

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. Cambridge has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.37 compared to 7.39 in Costa Mesa.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa7.39
Cambridge4.37

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa28.37
Cambridge26.44

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa0.03
Cambridge0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa0.75
Cambridge0.91

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa5.99
Cambridge3.11

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa3.71
Cambridge2.37

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Costa Mesa21.83
Cambridge23.23

Violent Crime Clearance

Costa Mesa52.7%
Cambridge43.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Costa Mesa19.0%
Cambridge11.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Avg Annual High

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Avg Annual Low

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Annual Rainfall

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Annual Snowfall

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Avg Humidity

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/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

Costa Mesa0
Cambridge0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Costa MesaN/A
CambridgeN/A

Colleges & Universities

Costa Mesa0
Cambridge0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Costa Mesa31.5%
Cambridge54.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Costa Mesa43.5%
Cambridge58.1%

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

Costa Mesa110,538
Cambridge117,794

Median Age

Costa Mesa37
Cambridge31

Avg Household Size

Costa Mesa2.6
Cambridge2.1

Married Population

Costa Mesa36.8%
Cambridge29.4%

Foreign Born

Costa Mesa22.8%
Cambridge28.8%

White

Costa Mesa52.7%
Cambridge57.5%

Black

Costa Mesa1.6%
Cambridge10.5%

Hispanic

Costa Mesa36.4%
Cambridge8.9%

Asian

Costa Mesa8.8%
Cambridge19.7%

Costa Mesa

Cambridge

Healthcare — Cambridge leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

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

Nearby Hospitals

Costa Mesa5
Cambridge5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Costa Mesa3.3
Cambridge4.3

With Emergency Services

Costa Mesa4
Cambridge4

Transportation & Commute — Cambridge leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Costa Mesa has a drive alone of 65.3% compared to 20.9% in Cambridge. 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.

Mean Commute Time

Costa Mesa18 min
Cambridge19 min

Drive Alone

Costa Mesa65.3%
Cambridge20.9%

Public Transit

Costa Mesa1.6%
Cambridge19.4%

Bicycle

Costa Mesa1.0%
Cambridge7.3%

Work from Home

Costa Mesa20.0%
Cambridge28.3%

Airports

Costa Mesa0
Cambridge0

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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