El Cajon vs Santa Clarita
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $681,700 in El Cajon and $784,700 in Santa Clarita.
- Households earn more in Santa Clarita ($123,062 vs $67,511 median).
- El Cajon has the warmer winter: January highs of 69°F vs 63°F.
- Santa Clarita has more scorching days: 87 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 57.
- Santa Clarita is growing faster: -1.9% since 2020 vs -4.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in El Cajon (25 vs 34 minutes each way).
Side by side
| El Cajon, CA | Santa Clarita, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 101,755 | 228,430 |
| Growth since 2020 | -4.2% | -1.9% |
| People per square mile | 7,013 | 3,103 |
| Median age | 36.1 | 38.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $67,511 | $123,062 |
| Median home value | $681,700 | $784,700 |
| Home value to income | 10.1× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,856 | $2,544 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.9 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 179.3 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,900 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 72% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.8 | 34.1 |
| Work from home | 11% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 20.5% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 69° / 43° | 63° / 47° |
| July high / low | 86° / 63° | 94° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 12 in | 17 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 57 | 87 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 1 |
| Comfortable months | 8 | 8 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.5% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.8% | +31.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: El Cajon: January to June and October to November. Santa Clarita: October to May.
Full monthly tables: El Cajon weather by month and Santa Clarita weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,900 in El Cajon and $85,200 in Santa Clarita. Moving from El Cajon to Santa Clarita, you would need about $76,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between El Cajon and Santa Clarita
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from El Cajon and Santa Clarita.
Which would you pick?
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