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Compare towns

Tustin vs Alhambra

31 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (9.9× in Tustin) and household income (+28% in Tustin).

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Tustin, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 78,981 people
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Alhambra, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 81,022 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 $1,440 more a month in Tustin

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.

Tustin$6,750/mo
Typical home $1.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $2,449/mo · Housing →
Alhambra$5,310/mo
Typical home $916K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,939/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,440 a month, about $17,300 a year, between Tustin and Alhambra.

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

Tustin places higher on 13 of 22 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
TustinAlhambra
Snow a year0″0″
January low49°F—
July high83°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th88th
Outdoors & history
TustinAlhambra
Trails20 mi2 mi
Conserved land4%3.9%
Settled—1903
National Register places41
Archive photos1916
Famous people born here1740
Community
TustinAlhambra
Library hours a week60 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town—3
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.

Where they are

31 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Tustin ↔ Alhambra31 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.

TustinAlhambra
People
Population 78,981Lowest 81,022Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Highest CA: +6.1% -0.3%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.5±1.3Lowest about the CA average 41.5±1Highest 9% above CA
Kids under 18 22.5%±1.6Highest CA: 22% 17.1%±1.1Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13.1%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 19%±1.1Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.9%±0.9Highest CA: 7.6% 7.5%±0.7Lowest CA: 7.6%
Tustin and Alhambra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $112,503±$6kHighest 13% above CA $88,024±$4kLowest 11% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $950,400±$31kHighest 29% above CA $857,800±$15kLowest 17% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,449±$57Highest 20% above CA $1,939±$39Lowest 5% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,725Highest 31% above CA $5,717Lowest 12% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3% 52.5%±3.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 9.9%Lowest CA: 12% 12.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 41.1%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 7 yrs newer than CA 1960Lowest 16 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 21% below CA 30 minHighest 6% above CA
Work from home 19.2%±1.9Highest CA: 17.2% 14.4%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 7.2%Lowest 8.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.37Highest 0.72Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (17%)Los Angeles (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AlhambraFew work in Tustin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4%Highest 3.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 19.8 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 8Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 132Highest 127Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #291 of 574 in CA—
School district Tustin UnifiedAlhambra Unified
High school in town Tustin HighMark Keppel High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.9Lowest 26.0Highest
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.

Tustin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tustin’s Town Square.

Alhambra neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alhambra’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Tustin and Alhambra

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Bordering Tustin

Towns like Tustin

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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