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Compare towns

Oceanside vs Bonsall

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (39.8× in Oceanside) and street grid (5.6× in Oceanside).

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Oceanside, CAHometown of 93 notable peopleCalifornia · 172,242 people
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Bonsall, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 4,332 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 $890 more a month in Bonsall

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.

Oceanside$5,000/mo
Typical home $867K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $2,303/mo · Housing →
Bonsall$5,890/mo
Typical home $1.01M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.70% · or rent about $2,336/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,700 a year, between Bonsall and Oceanside.

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

Bonsall places higher on 10 of 19 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.

Where they are

Oceanside and Bonsall share a border

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

OceansideBonsallOceansideBonsall
Oceanside ↔ Bonsall7.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
162 Bonsall residents work in Oceanside (8.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bonsall →
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
OceansideBonsall
Snow a year—0″
January low—45°F
July high—87°F
Growing season (days)—365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd98th
Outdoors & history
OceansideBonsall
Trails42 mi7 mi
Conserved land15%9.7%
Settled1888—
National Register places5—
Archive photos21—
Famous people born here931
Community
OceansideBonsall
Library hours a week72 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

OceansideBonsall
People
Population 172,242Highest 4,332Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +14.2%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 38.9±0.6Lowest about the CA average 44±7.2Highest 16% above CA
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 23%±7.6Highest CA: 22%
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 26%±4.2Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 48.1%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.9%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 3.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $97,737±$4kLowest about the CA average $113,537±$10kHighest 15% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $770,300±$13kLowest 5% above CA $958,700±$79kHighest 30% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,303±$37Lowest 13% above CA $2,336±$398Highest 15% above CA
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,785Lowest 7% below CA $6,747Highest 32% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.3%±3.5Highest CA: 55.3% 58.8%±18.5Lowest CA: 55.3%
Oceanside and Bonsall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.3%Lowest CA: 12% 16.9%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.3%Lowest CA: 55.9% 68.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than CA 1989Highest 13 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest about the CA average 31 minHighest 8% above CA
Work from home 16%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 20.7%±9.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Bonsall and Oceanside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.8%Highest 6.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 14.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Carlsbad (15%)San Diego (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bonsall9% work in Oceanside
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15%Highest 9.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 41.8 miHighest 7.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 35Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 88.8Highest 16.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #277 of 574 in CA—
School district Bonsall Unified · Scholarship Prep - Oceanside DistrictBonsall Unified
High school in town El Camino HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 23.3 —
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.

Oceanside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oceanside’s Town Square.

Bonsall neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Remembering Old Bonsall

1 neighbor in Bonsall can answer.

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Bordering Oceanside

Towns like Oceanside

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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