Durham, NC vs Simi Valley, 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

Simi Valley

67.3

#1445 nationally

Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 176). Simi Valley leads in median household income ($112,144 vs $67,432). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 28.4 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Simi Valley, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	67.3 (#1445)
Population	283,506	125,113
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$841,774
Median Household Income	$67,432	$112,144
Average Commute	22.8 min	28.4 min
Walk Score	33	39
Crime Level	Moderate	3.5
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	176
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+15.1