Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Pasadena
136,462
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Pasadena
$103,778
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Pasadena
$1,045,000
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Pasadena
$2,218
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Pasadena
4.81
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Pasadena
211.5
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Pasadena
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Pasadena
5.3%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Pasadena?
Pasadena is Costa Mesa's #3 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Pasadena
136,462
Pasadena has a 19% larger population than Costa Mesa.
Violent Crime
Costa Mesa
7.39
Pasadena
4.81
Costa Mesa has a 35% higher violent crime than Pasadena.
Property Crime
Costa Mesa
28.37
Pasadena
26.97
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Pasadena
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Costa Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (32% difference).
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Pasadena
5.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Pasadena
$103,778
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Pasadena
$1,045,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Pasadena
43.0%
Pasadena has a 27% higher education than Costa Mesa.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Pasadena
41.4%
Costa Mesa has a 21% higher demographics than Pasadena.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Pasadena
211.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Pasadena share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Pasadena
Pasadena leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Pasadena leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPasadena has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,746 in Costa Mesa (32% lower). Pasadena has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $3,236 in Costa Mesa (24% lower). Pasadena scores 346.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 9.1% in Pasadena. Pasadena has a median rent of $2,218 vs $2,395 in Costa Mesa (8% lower). Pasadena has a owner-occupied of 42.1% 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 poverty rate of 8.9% compared to 13.2% in Pasadena. Pasadena has a work from home of 23.6% compared to 20.0% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa: 18 min vs Pasadena: 21 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Pasadena leads
Source: FBI UCRPasadena has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.03 in Costa Mesa. Pasadena has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.27 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Pasadena has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.81 compared to 7.39 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 — Pasadena leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPasadena has a bachelor's degree or higher of 43.0% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa. Pasadena has a high school diploma or higher of 53.0% 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 ACSPasadena has a population of 136,462, about 1.2x the size of Costa Mesa (110,538). Costa Mesa skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 40.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Pasadena
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCosta Mesa: 4 vs Pasadena: 3 for with emergency services. Pasadena: 3.5 vs Costa Mesa: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Pasadena leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPasadena has a public transit of 4.1% compared to 1.6% in Costa Mesa. Pasadena has a work from home of 23.6% compared to 20.0% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa: 18 min vs Pasadena: 21 min for mean commute time.
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.