Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Cypress vs Pacifica

361 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (12× in Pacifica) and jobs per worker (3.7× in Cypress).

×
Cypress, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 49,498 people
×
Pacifica, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 37,261 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 $1,040 more a month in Pacifica

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.

Cypress$6,200/mo
Typical home $1.07M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $2,483/mo · Housing →
Pacifica$7,250/mo
Typical home $1.26M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $3,098/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,040 a month, about $12,500 a year, between Pacifica and Cypress.

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

Pacifica places higher on 13 of 23 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.

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
CypressPacifica
Snow a year0″0″
January low—45°F
July high—69°F
Growing season (days)—365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th89th
Outdoors & history
CypressPacifica
Trails4 mi42 mi
Conserved land2.1%42.7%
National Register places—2
Archive photos212
Famous people born here126
Community
CypressPacifica
Library hours a week28 hrs57 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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.

Where they are

361 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Cypress ↔ Pacifica361 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.

CypressPacifica
People
Population 49,498Highest 37,261Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +3.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.4±1.1Lowest 9% above CA 44.6±1.4Highest 18% above CA
Kids under 18 22.1%±1.8Highest CA: 22% 18.2%±1.7Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 16.8%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.4%±1.7Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.7%Highest CA: 37.1% 48.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.6%±1Highest CA: 7.6% 6.1%±1.2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cypress and Pacifica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $130,215±$8kLowest 31% above CA $160,523±$13kHighest 62% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $913,900±$19kLowest 24% above CA $1,249,800±$36kHighest 70% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,483±$104Lowest 22% above CA $3,098±$184Highest 52% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,066Lowest 18% above CA $7,933Highest 55% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.5%±5.8Highest CA: 55.3% 51.4%±7.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
Cypress and Pacifica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.6%Highest CA: 12% 5.8%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.1%Highest CA: 55.9% 67.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 5 yrs older than CA 1966Lowest 10 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest about the CA average 27 minLowest 5% below CA
Work from home 20.2%±2.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 23.6%±2.5Highest CA: 17.2%
Pacifica and Cypress are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.7%Lowest 8.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Highest 0.27Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (10%)San Francisco (33%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PacificaFew work in Cypress
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.1%Lowest 42.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.5 miLowest 42.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 3.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 19Highest 17Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 147Highest 57.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #84 of 574 in CA#75 of 574 in CA
School district Anaheim Union High · Cypress ElementaryJefferson Union High · Pacifica
High school in town Cypress HighTerra Nova High
Students per teacherat that high school 26.9Highest 20.0Lowest
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.

Cypress neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Supporting Local Businesses

1 neighbor in Cypress can answer.

Pacifica neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pacifica’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cypress and Pacifica

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

Bordering Cypress

Towns like Cypress

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.

Post to Cypress

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in