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%

Costa Mesa$8,120/mo

Typical home $1.41M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $2,446/mo · Housing →

Burbank$6,720/mo

Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $2,192/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,400 a month, about $16,800 a year, between Costa Mesa and Burbank.

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

Burbank places higher on 14 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

–Costa MesaNot graded DBurbankSafer than 14% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−Costa MesaBetter than 84% of districts in the state A−BurbankBetter than 75% of districts in the state

Health

A−Costa MesaHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns A−BurbankHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns

5Costa Mesa

14Burbank

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

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #353#113 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #427#248 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #141#297 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #448#241 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #149#322 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #144#307 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #261#118 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #194#347

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Costa Mesa’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

Costa MesaBurbank

Snow a year0″0″

January low49°F —

July high83°F —

Growing season (days)365d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th 94th

Outdoors & history

Costa MesaBurbank

Trails19 mi 22 mi

Conserved land9.4%20.3%

Settled1776 1887

National Register places—3

Archive photos2 6

Famous people born here27 47

Community

Costa MesaBurbank

Library hours a week60 hrs 58 hrs

Colleges in town3 2

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.

Where they are

43 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Costa MesaCA BurbankCA

Costa Mesa ↔ Burbank43 miles apart

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

Costa MesaBurbank

People

Population 110,330Highest 104,546Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3.9%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 36.7±0.8Lowest 3% below CA 40.1±1Highest 6% above CA

Kids under 18 18.5%±1.2Lowest CA: 22% 19.1%±1.3Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 13.2%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 16.3%±1Highest CA: 15.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 45%Lowest CA: 37.1% 47.1%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±0.8 CA: 7.6% 7.5%±0.9 CA: 7.6%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $111,505±$4kHighest 12% above CA $97,082±$5kLowest about the CA average

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,115,100±$21kHighest 52% above CA $1,089,100±$22kLowest 48% above CA

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,446±$39Highest 20% above CA $2,192±$51Lowest 8% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,839Highest 33% above CA $6,106Lowest 19% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.1%±3.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 59.4%±3.8Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 9.1%Lowest CA: 12% 10.7%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 39.6%Lowest CA: 55.9% 43.3%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 4 yrs older than CA 1959Lowest 17 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 22% below CA 26 minHighest 9% below CA

Work from home 22.2%±1.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 30.4%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%

Work in townworking residents 13.2%Lowest 24.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.70Lowest 3.71Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (14%)Los Angeles (40%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BurbankFew work in Costa Mesa

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.4%Lowest 20.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 19.0 miLowest 21.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 1.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 30Highest 28Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 109Highest 83.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #353 of 574 in CA #113 of 574 in CA

School district Coastline ROP · Central Orange County CTE Partnership (CTEp)Burbank Unified

High school in town Costa Mesa HighBurbank High

Students per teacherat that high school 19.5Lowest 25.5Highest

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.

Costa Mesa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Costa Mesa’s Town Square.

Burbank neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Burbank’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Costa Mesa and Burbank

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

Bordering Costa Mesa

+ Compare

Newport Beach83,845 people · $2M homes

+ Compare

Santa Ana312,534 people · $713K homes

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Irvine311,690 people · $1.19M homes

+ Compare

Huntington Beach195,240 people · $1.1M homes

Towns like Costa Mesa

+ Compare

Santa Barbara87,779 people · $1.57M homes

+ Compare

Tustin78,981 people · $950K homes

+ Compare

Alhambra81,022 people · $858K homes

+ Compare

Fullerton140,968 people · $903K 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.

Costa Mesa vs Burbank

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,400 more a month in Costa Mesa

Burbank places higher on 14 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

43 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Costa Mesa and Burbank

Bordering Costa Mesa

Towns like Costa Mesa

Post to Costa Mesa

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