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%

Morro Bay$5,410/mo

Typical home $934K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,858/mo · Housing →

Durham$3,460/mo

Typical home $601K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $1,105/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,950 a month, about $23,400 a year, between Morro Bay and Durham.

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

Morro Bay places higher on 13 of 20 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

B−Morro BaySafer than 50% of U.S. towns –DurhamNot graded

Schools

A−Morro BayBetter than 81% of districts in the state B+DurhamBetter than 65% of districts in the state

Health

A−Morro BayHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns B+DurhamHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns

13Morro Bay

6Durham

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #245#616 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #123#528 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #394#54 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#762 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #586#838 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #546#788 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #247#456 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #571#384

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

Morro BayDurham

Snow a year0″0″

January low46°F 38°F

July high67°F 94°F

Growing season (days)365d 279d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th 77th

Outdoors & history

Morro BayDurham

Trails16 mi 25 mi

Conserved land19.5%2.3%

Settled1870 —

National Register places1 2

Archive photos3 7

Famous people born here1 2

Community

Morro BayDurham

Library hours a week39 hrs 21 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.

Where they are

299 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Morro BayCA DurhamCA

Morro Bay ↔ Durham299 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

Morro BayDurham

People

Population 10,692Highest 5,340Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.1%Lowest CA: +6.1% +5.7%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 54.3±2.8Highest 43% above CA 50.8±6Lowest 34% above CA

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

Kids under 18 12%±2.4Lowest CA: 22% 18.1%±3.9Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 32.6%±3.9Highest CA: 15.7% 27.4%±3.9Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.5%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.4%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.2%±6.2Highest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,843±$6kHighest 3% below CA $95,417±$29kLowest 4% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $918,200±$49kHighest 25% above CA $700,100±$127kLowest 5% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,858±$93Highest 9% below CA $1,105±$82Lowest 46% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,999Highest 17% above CA $4,304Lowest 16% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.5%±10Highest CA: 55.3% 43.1%±29.7Lowest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 8.4%Lowest CA: 12% 10.2%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 70.9%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 2 yrs older than CA 1976Highest same as CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 31% below CA 18 minLowest 37% below CA

Work from home 21.7%±6.6Highest CA: 17.2% 16.8%±9Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 18.9%Highest 12.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miHighest 9.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.74Lowest 1.00Highest

Top workplaceoutside town San Luis Obispo (20%)Chico (39%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DurhamFew work in Morro Bay

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 19.5%Highest 2.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 15.6 miLowest 24.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.5 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 44.7Highest 3.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #168 of 574 in CA #151 of 574 in CA

School district San Luis Coastal UnifiedDurham Unified

High school in town Morro Bay HighDurham High

Students per teacherat that high school 17.8Highest 16.4Lowest

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.

Morro Bay neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Morro Bay’s Town Square.

Durham neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Durham’s Town Square.

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

Bordering Morro Bay

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Cayucos2,427 people · $1.01M homes

Towns like Morro Bay

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Sonoma10,670 people · $971K homes

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Pismo Beach8,014 people · $1.02M homes

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Sebastopol7,445 people · $846K homes

+ Compare

Ojai7,577 people · $1.02M 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.

Morro Bay vs Durham

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,950 more a month in Morro Bay

Morro Bay places higher on 13 of 20 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

299 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Morro Bay and Durham

Bordering Morro Bay

Towns like Morro Bay

Post to Morro Bay

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