Durham, NC vs Lafayette, 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.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Lafayette

62.7

#1832 nationally

Lafayette leads in median household income ($219,250 vs $67,432). Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 280). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 29.7 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Lafayette, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	62.7 (#1832)
Population	283,506	25,048
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$1,941,109
Median Household Income	$67,432	$219,250
Average Commute	22.8 min	29.7 min
Walk Score	33	26
Crime Level	Moderate	2.2
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	280
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+38.0