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%

Tustin$6,750/mo

Typical home $1.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $2,449/mo · Housing →

Costa Mesa$8,120/mo

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

The difference: $1,370 a month, about $16,400 a year, between Costa Mesa and Tustin.

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 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

CTustinSafer than 30% of U.S. towns –Costa MesaNot graded

Schools

A−TustinBetter than 83% of districts in the state A−Costa MesaBetter than 84% of districts in the state

Health

A−TustinHealthier than 77% of U.S. towns A−Costa MesaHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns

13Tustin

8Costa Mesa

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

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #350#141 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #99#420 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #283#427 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #331#555 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #189#319 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #408#261 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #257#149 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #94#194

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

TustinCosta Mesa

Snow a year0″0″

January low49°F 49°F

July high83°F 83°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th 85th

Outdoors & history

TustinCosta Mesa

Trails20 mi 19 mi

Conserved land4%9.4%

Settled—1776

National Register places4 —

Archive photos19 2

Famous people born here17 27

Community

TustinCosta Mesa

Library hours a week60 hrs 60 hrs

Colleges in town—3

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

7 miles apart

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

TustinCosta Mesa

Tustin ↔ Costa Mesa7.4 miles apart

Who commutes between them

1,460 Tustin residents work in Costa Mesa (3.9% of its workers)

1,018 Costa Mesa residents work in Tustin (2.1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Tustin →

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

TustinCosta Mesa

People

Population 78,981Lowest 110,330Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Highest CA: +6.1% +1.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 37.5±1.3Highest about the CA average 36.7±0.8Lowest 3% below CA

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

Kids under 18 22.5%±1.6Highest CA: 22% 18.5%±1.2Lowest CA: 22%

Age 65+ 13.1%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 13.2%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 45%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.9%±0.9Highest CA: 7.6% 7.5%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6%

Tustin and Costa Mesa 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 $111,505±$4kLowest 12% above CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $950,400±$31kLowest 29% above CA $1,115,100±$21kHighest 52% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,449±$57Highest 20% above CA $2,446±$39Lowest 20% above CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,725Lowest 31% above CA $6,839Highest 33% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3% 53.1%±3.6Lowest CA: 55.3%

Below poverty line 9.9%Highest CA: 12% 9.1%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 48.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 39.6%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 7 yrs newer than CA 1972Lowest 4 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 23 minHighest 21% below CA 22 minLowest 22% below CA

Work from home 19.2%±1.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 22.2%±1.6Highest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 7.2%Lowest 13.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.37Lowest 1.70Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (17%)Irvine (14%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 4% work in Costa Mesa2% work in Tustin

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4%Lowest 9.4%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 19.8 miHighest 19.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 1.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Lowest 30Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 132Highest 109Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #291 of 574 in CA #353 of 574 in CA

School district Tustin UnifiedCoastline ROP · Central Orange County CTE Partnership (CTEp)

High school in town Tustin HighCosta Mesa High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.9Highest 19.5Lowest

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.

Costa Mesa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Costa Mesa’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tustin and Costa Mesa

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

Bordering Tustin

+ Compare

North Tustin25,807 people · $1.35M homes

+ Compare

Santa Ana312,534 people · $713K homes

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Irvine311,690 people · $1.19M homes

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Orange138,266 people · $946K homes

Towns like Tustin

+ Compare

La Mesa60,797 people · $812K homes

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Burbank104,546 people · $1.09M homes

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Fullerton140,968 people · $903K homes

+ Compare

Monrovia37,571 people · $909K 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.

Tustin vs Costa Mesa

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $1,370 more a month in Costa Mesa

Tustin places higher on 13 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

7 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Tustin and Costa Mesa

Bordering Tustin

Towns like Tustin

Post to Tustin

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