Should I Move To
Roughly 111,490 people live in Costa Mesa, California. Living here costs very expensive relative to the rest of the country, 38% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,268/mo; the typical household pulls in $104,981. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 29/100 — a F, putting it at #964 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Costa Mesa sits at 138 — very expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($2,268/mo against $104,981 median household income), housing eats roughly 26% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $959,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 103°F in summer, 37°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 4 inches. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Crime statistics are on the rougher end of the US distribution; the citywide aggregate hides safer pockets but the headline number isn't great. Air quality is moderate (AQI 54).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Costa Mesa isn't the strongest match. It earns 27/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on job market (80/100); weakest on affordability (6/100).
For retirees, Costa Mesa isn't the strongest match. It earns 19/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on job market (80/100); weakest on affordability (6/100).
For remote workers, Costa Mesa isn't the strongest match. It earns 16/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on job market (80/100); weakest on affordability (6/100).
For young professionals, Costa Mesa isn't the strongest match. It earns 41/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on job market (80/100); weakest on affordability (6/100).
Costa Mesa, California pulls a 29/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #964 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Costa Mesa's cost-of-living index is 138 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very expensive band — 38% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,268/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 103°F, winter averages around 37°F, with about 4 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 52/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Costa Mesa has about 111,490 residents, 43% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 36.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Costa Mesa head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Costa Mesa stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Costa Mesa with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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