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Compare towns

Bonsall vs Oceanside

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (39.8× in Oceanside) and street grid (5.6× in Oceanside).

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Bonsall, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 4,332 people
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Oceanside, CAHometown of 93 notable peopleCalifornia · 172,242 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Bonsall

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bonsall$5,890/mo
Typical home $1.01M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.70% · or rent about $2,336/mo · Housing →
Oceanside$5,000/mo
Typical home $867K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $2,303/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,700 a year, between Bonsall and Oceanside.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Bonsall places higher on 10 of 19 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Bonsall and Oceanside share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BonsallOceansideBonsallOceanside
Bonsall ↔ Oceanside7.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
162 Bonsall residents work in Oceanside (8.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bonsall →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BonsallOceanside
Snow a year0″—
January low45°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th73rd
Outdoors & history
BonsallOceanside
Trails7 mi42 mi
Conserved land9.7%15%
Settled—1888
National Register places—5
Archive photos—21
Famous people born here193
Community
BonsallOceanside
Library hours a week—72 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BonsallOceanside
People
Population 4,332Lowest 172,242Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +14.2%Highest CA: +6.1% +4.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 44±7.2Highest 16% above CA 38.9±0.6Lowest about the CA average
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23%±7.6Highest CA: 22% 20.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22%
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26%±4.2Highest CA: 15.7% 17%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.1%Highest CA: 37.1% 36.2%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.9%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $113,537±$10kHighest 15% above CA $97,737±$4kLowest about the CA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $958,700±$79kHighest 30% above CA $770,300±$13kLowest 5% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,336±$398Highest 15% above CA $2,303±$37Lowest 13% above CA
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,747Highest 32% above CA $4,785Lowest 7% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.8%±18.5Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.3%±3.5Highest CA: 55.3%
Oceanside and Bonsall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.9%Highest CA: 12% 8.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 58.3%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 13 yrs newer than CA 1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 8% above CA 29 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 20.7%±9.2Highest CA: 17.2% 16%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2%
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.4%Lowest 17.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miHighest 14.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.50Lowest 0.61Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Diego (16%)Carlsbad (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in OceansideFew work in Bonsall
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.7%Lowest 15%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.0 miLowest 41.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 35Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 16.0Lowest 88.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#277 of 574 in CA
School district Bonsall UnifiedBonsall Unified · Scholarship Prep - Oceanside District
High school in town None in townEl Camino High
Students per teacherat that high school — 23.3
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bonsall neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Remembering Old Bonsall

1 neighbor in Bonsall can answer.

Oceanside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oceanside’s Town Square.

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Towns like Bonsall

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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