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Compare towns

Cayucos vs Morro Bay

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: average commute (22 min in Morro Bay) and size (4.4× in Morro Bay).

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Cayucos, CAHomes around $1.32MCalifornia · 2,427 people
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Morro Bay, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 10,692 people
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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.

CayucosHomes around $1.32M
Housing$1.32M typical home73% above the CA typical home HealthHealthier than 87%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 82%of CA districts All about Cayucos →
Morro BayKnown for its schools
Schools#168 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#123 most conserved land in CA16 miles of trails across 15 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 82%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Morro Bay →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Average commute22 min
Morro Bay has the shorter commute
Cayucos 42 minMorro Bay 20 min
Size4.4×
Morro Bay is the bigger place
Morro Bay 10,692Cayucos 2,427
Seasonal homes+24.4 pts
Cayucos has more second homes
Cayucos 39.6%Morro Bay 15.2%
Growth since 2010+8.5 pts
Morro Bay has grown faster since 2010
Morro Bay +5.1%Cayucos -3.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,180 more a month in Cayucos

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.

Cayucos$7,590/mo
Typical home $1.32M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,571/mo · Housing →
Morro Bay$5,410/mo
Typical home $934K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,858/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,180 a month, about $26,200 a year, between Cayucos and Morro Bay.

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

Cayucos and Morro Bay share a border

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

CayucosMorro BayCayucosMorro Bay
Cayucos ↔ Morro Bay5.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
87 Morro Bay residents work in Cayucos (2.1% of its workers)
72 Cayucos residents work in Morro Bay (8.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Morro Bay →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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
–CayucosNot graded B−Morro BaySafer than 50% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−CayucosBetter than 82% of districts in the state A−Morro BayBetter than 81% of districts in the state
Health
ACayucosHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns A−Morro BayHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns
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
CayucosMorro Bay
Snow a year0″0″
January low46°F46°F
July high67°F67°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th77th
Outdoors & history
CayucosMorro Bay
Trails12 mi16 mi
Conserved land15.7%19.5%
Settled—1870
National Register places11
Archive photos173
Famous people born here—1
Community
CayucosMorro Bay
Library hours a week27 hrs39 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

CayucosMorro Bay
People
Population 2,427Lowest 10,692Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +5.1%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 59.4±5Highest 57% above CA 54.3±2.8Lowest 43% above CA
Cayucos and Morro Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 8.5%±4.7Lowest CA: 22% 12%±2.4Highest CA: 22%
Morro Bay and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 35.4%±5.7Highest CA: 15.7% 32.6%±3.9Lowest CA: 15.7%
Cayucos and Morro Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 44.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 48.5%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±2.4Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.4%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6%
Morro Bay and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $87,235±$16kLowest 12% below CA $95,843±$6kHighest 3% below CA
Morro Bay and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,011,900±$190kHighest 38% above CA $918,200±$49kLowest 25% above CA
Cayucos and Morro Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,571±$325Lowest 23% below CA $1,858±$93Highest 9% below CA
Morro Bay and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,896Lowest 15% above CA $5,999Highest 17% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.4%±19.7Highest CA: 55.3% 49.5%±10Lowest CA: 55.3%
Cayucos and Morro Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.3%Highest CA: 12% 8.4%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 65.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Lowest 3 yrs older than CA 1974Highest 2 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 42 minHighest 46% above CA 20 minLowest 31% below CA
Work from home 26.4%±9.9Highest CA: 17.2% 21.7%±6.6Lowest CA: 17.2%
Cayucos and Morro Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 12.2%Lowest 18.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 14.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.51Lowest 0.74Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Luis Obispo (17%)San Luis Obispo (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 8% work in Morro Bay2% work in Cayucos
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.7%Lowest 19.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 12.3 miLowest 15.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.1 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 15Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 40.6Lowest 44.7Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#168 of 574 in CA
School district Cayucos ElementarySan Luis Coastal Unified
High school in town None in townMorro Bay High
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.8
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.

Cayucos neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cayucos’s Town Square.

Morro Bay neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Morro Bay’s Town Square.

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Towns like Cayucos

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Solvang6,034 people · $950K 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.

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