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.

Down paymentRate%

Carlsbad$9,200/mo

Typical home $1.59M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $2,808/mo · Housing →

Encinitas$10,870/mo

Typical home $1.92M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $2,886/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,670 a month, about $20,000 a year, between Encinitas and Carlsbad.

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.

Where they are

Carlsbad and Encinitas share a border

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

CarlsbadEncinitas

Carlsbad ↔ Encinitas5.5 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

2,375 Carlsbad residents work in Encinitas (5.2% of its workers)

2,316 Encinitas residents work in Carlsbad (9.5% of its workers)

Work & commute in Carlsbad →

Report cards

Encinitas places higher on 12 of 21 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.

Safety

C+CarlsbadSafer than 43% of U.S. towns BEncinitasSafer than 58% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−CarlsbadBetter than 75% of districts in the state A−EncinitasBetter than 77% of districts in the state

Health

A+CarlsbadHealthier than 96% of U.S. towns A+EncinitasHealthier than 96% of U.S. towns

6Carlsbad

12Encinitas

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #350#61 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #229#95 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #226#426 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #179#97 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #369#245 SafestSafety · 411 towns #121#66 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #69#130 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #331#392

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Carlsbad’s rankings →

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

CarlsbadEncinitas

Snow a year0″0″

January low47°F 47°F

July high70°F 70°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th 50th

Outdoors & history

CarlsbadEncinitas

Trails136 mi 84 mi

Conserved land29.7%18.9%

Settled—1986

National Register places2 3

Archive photos13 14

Famous people born here26 31

Community

CarlsbadEncinitas

Library hours a week50 hrs 51 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Only big differences vs California average

CarlsbadEncinitas

People

Population 114,373Highest 61,480Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +4.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 42.5±1Lowest 12% above CA 43.1±1.3Highest 14% above CA

Encinitas and Carlsbad are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 23.4%±1.4Highest CA: 22% 20.7%±1.6Lowest CA: 22%

Carlsbad and Encinitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18.8%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 19.9%±1.2Highest CA: 15.7%

Encinitas and Carlsbad are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 62.1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 67.7%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 5%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6%

Carlsbad and Encinitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $142,748±$8kLowest 44% above CA $162,229±$10kHighest 64% above CA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,257,000±$36kLowest 71% above CA $1,646,800±$53kHighest 124% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,808±$100Lowest 38% above CA $2,886±$115Highest 42% above CA

Encinitas and Carlsbad are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $8,020Lowest 57% above CA $8,293Highest 62% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.6%±4.5Highest CA: 55.3% 51%±6.4Lowest CA: 55.3%

Carlsbad and Encinitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 6.9%Lowest CA: 12% 7.4%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 62.9%Lowest CA: 55.9% 66.5%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 13 yrs newer than CA 1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 6% below CA 25 minLowest 14% below CA

Work from home 31.9%±2Lowest CA: 17.2% 32.7%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%

Encinitas and Carlsbad are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 22.4%Highest 14.8%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 11.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.64Highest 0.99Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town San Diego (25%)San Diego (31%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Encinitas10% work in Carlsbad

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 29.7%Highest 18.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 135.7 miHighest 84.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.5 miLowest 4.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 32Highest 19Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.8Highest 74.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#61 of 574 in CA

School district Carlsbad Unified · Encinitas Union ElementaryJCS - Mountain Oaks District · Cardiff Elementary

High school in town Carlsbad HighSan Dieguito HS Academy

Students per teacherat that high school 23.8Lowest 24.4Highest

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.

Carlsbad neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carlsbad’s Town Square.

Encinitas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Encinitas’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Carlsbad and Encinitas

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Carlsbad

+ Compare

Oceanside172,242 people · $770K homes

+ Compare

Lake San Marcos4,693 people · $917K homes

+ Compare

San Marcos94,882 people · $868K homes

+ Compare

Vista99,114 people · $762K homes

Towns like Carlsbad

+ Compare

Pleasanton76,960 people · $1.54M homes

+ Compare

Torrance142,130 people · $1.07M homes

+ Compare

Fremont228,295 people · $1.4M homes

+ Compare

Redondo Beach69,291 people · $1.28M homes

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.

Carlsbad vs Encinitas

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,670 more a month in Encinitas

Carlsbad and Encinitas share a border

Encinitas places higher on 12 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Carlsbad and Encinitas

Bordering Carlsbad

Towns like Carlsbad

Post to Carlsbad

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