Lake Elsinore vs Vacaville
The short version
- Lake Elsinore is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Vacaville area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $566,000 in Lake Elsinore and $620,900 in Vacaville.
- Households earn more in Vacaville ($111,126 vs $101,888 median).
- Lake Elsinore has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 58°F.
- Lake Elsinore has more scorching days: 123 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 88.
- Lake Elsinore is growing faster: +6.9% since 2020 vs +1.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Vacaville (28 vs 43 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Lake Elsinore, CA | Vacaville, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 75,067 | 103,850 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.9% | +1.4% |
| People per square mile | 1,962 | 3,477 |
| Median age | 33.7 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,888 | $111,126 |
| Median home value | $566,000 | $620,900 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,078 | $2,299 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.4 | 108.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 129.3 | 142.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,800 | $81,400 |
| Homeowners | 71% | 68% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 42.9 | 28.2 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 9.4% | 8.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 66° / 42° | 58° / 38° |
| July high / low | 97° / 64° | 95° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 12 in | 25 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 88 |
| Nights below freezing | 9 | 21 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 97.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 99% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | -0.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.9% | +14.3% |
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: Lake Elsinore: February to May and October to November. Vacaville: March to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Lake Elsinore weather by month and Vacaville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $79,800 in Lake Elsinore and $81,400 in Vacaville. Moving from Lake Elsinore to Vacaville, you would need about $76,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lake Elsinore and Vacaville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lake Elsinore and Vacaville.
Which would you pick?
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