Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 46/100
D
Median home value$1,115,100
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$2,446/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
Los Angeles 46%
Costa Mesa
Orange County110,330 residentsNewport-Mesa Unified
70
B−
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
70
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Costa Mesa yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 70 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Costa Mesa is like to live in, by category
Bars show Costa Mesa against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Within-state proficiency79th pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.8
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate92%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index112
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.57%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax7.75%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Mean commute22.4 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes72%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 93/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés213
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries13
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks96
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$111,505
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment4.7%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations43%
Los Angeles 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Costa Mesa yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Costa Mesa on housing & affordability
Costa Mesa's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Newport Beach4 mi from Costa MesaB− 72 B− Yorba Linda17 mi from Costa MesaC+ 60 C San Clemente23 mi from Costa MesaC 66 C+ Mission Viejo15 mi from Costa MesaC 67 C+ Laguna Niguel15 mi from Costa MesaC 66 C+ Lake Forest14 mi from Costa MesaC− 67 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Costa Mesa
Is Costa Mesa, CA a good place to live?
Costa Mesa scores 70 out of 100, 3rd of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Costa Mesa expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $1,115,100, 28% above the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.57%. $2,446/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Costa Mesa?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Costa Mesa sit at the 79th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 19.8 student–teacher ratio. Costa Mesa is served by Newport-Mesa Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Costa Mesa?
The mean commute is 22.4 min, with 72% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 22% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Costa Mesa?
Within two miles there are 13 groceries, 213 restaurants and cafés and 96 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Costa Mesa old or new?
The median home in Costa Mesa was built in 1972 — close to the Los Angeles median of 1969. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 50% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Los Angeles lists
Best Los Angeles suburbs for familiesMost affordable Los Angeles suburbsBest Los Angeles suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown Los AngelesMost walkable Los Angeles suburbsBest Los Angeles suburbs for young professionalsCompare Costa Mesa
Every Los Angeles suburb, side by side