Brea, CA vs Santa Ana, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Brea

64.3

#1700 nationally

Santa Ana

63.6

#1759 nationally

Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $72,458). Santa Ana leads in cost of living index (138 vs 178). Santa Ana leads in average commute (26.8 min vs 31.1 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	Santa Ana, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	63.6 (#1759)
Population	48,479	310,227
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$869,263
Median Household Income	$120,226	$72,458
Average Commute	31.1 min	26.8 min
Walk Score	50	55
Crime Level	5.8	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	5.4
Cost of Living Index	178	138
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+2.6