Population
Torrance
143,499
Costa Mesa
110,538
Median Income
Torrance
$113,105
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Home Value
Torrance
$1,036,600
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Rent
Torrance
$2,214
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Crime Rate
Torrance
3.11
Costa Mesa
7.39
Cost of Living
Torrance
223.5
Costa Mesa
218.8
Avg Temp
Torrance
N/A
Costa Mesa
N/A
Unemployment
Torrance
5.5%
Costa Mesa
4.9%
How Similar Are Torrance & Costa Mesa?
Costa Mesa is Torrance's #17 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Torrance
143,499
Costa Mesa
110,538
Torrance has a 23% larger population than Costa Mesa.
Violent Crime
Torrance
3.11
Costa Mesa
7.39
Costa Mesa's violent crime is significantly higher than Torrance's — 58% difference.
Property Crime
Torrance
27.76
Costa Mesa
28.37
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Torrance
31.9%
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Costa Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (32% difference).
Unemployment
Torrance
5.5%
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Torrance has a 11% higher unemployment than Costa Mesa.
Median Income
Torrance
$113,105
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Torrance
$1,036,600
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Torrance
38.8%
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Torrance has a 19% higher education than Costa Mesa.
Demographics
Torrance
36.4%
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Costa Mesa has a 31% higher demographics than Torrance.
Cost of Living
Torrance
223.5
Costa Mesa
218.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Torrance and Costa Mesa share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Torrance
0
Costa Mesa
Cost of Living & Affordability — Costa Mesa leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCosta Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 172.9 in Torrance. Torrance has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,746 in Costa Mesa (24% lower). Torrance has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $3,236 in Costa Mesa (20% 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 — Torrance leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 6.9% in Torrance. Torrance has a owner-occupied of 54.6% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa. Torrance has a single-family homes of 59.8% compared to 49.7% in Costa Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTorrance has a poverty rate of 6.9% compared to 8.9% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a unemployment rate of 4.9% compared to 5.5% in Torrance. Torrance: 75,234 vs Costa Mesa: 67,989 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Torrance leads
Source: FBI UCRTorrance has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.03 in Costa Mesa. Torrance has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.69 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Torrance has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.11 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 — Torrance leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauTorrance has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.8% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa. Torrance has a high school diploma or higher of 51.2% 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 ACSTorrance has a population of 143,499, about 1.3x the size of Costa Mesa (110,538). Costa Mesa skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 43.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Torrance
Costa Mesa
Healthcare — Costa Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCosta Mesa: 4 vs Torrance: 3 for with emergency services. Costa Mesa: 3.3 vs Torrance: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
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 0.4% in Torrance. Costa Mesa has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 1.1% in Torrance. Torrance has a drive alone of 71.2% compared to 65.3% in Costa Mesa.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Torrance, CA
Compare Torrance 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.