Mission Viejo vs Mountain View
The short version
- Mountain View is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Mission Viejo area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,009,600 in Mission Viejo and $1,927,000 in Mountain View.
- Households earn more in Mountain View ($189,917 vs $136,123 median).
- Mission Viejo has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 59°F.
- Mission Viejo has more scorching days: 35 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 9.
- Mountain View is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -3.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Mountain View (23 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Mission Viejo, CA | Mountain View, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 90,484 | 85,438 |
| Growth since 2020 | -3.4% | +3.5% |
| People per square mile | 5,124 | 7,145 |
| Median age | 45.5 | 35.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52% | 75% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $136,123 | $189,917 |
| Median home value | $1,009,600 | $1,927,000 |
| Home value to income | 7.4× | 10.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,839 | $3,062 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 110.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 211.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $82,800 |
| Homeowners | 77% | 39% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.6 | 23.3 |
| Work from home | 23% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.2% | 3.7% |
| Poverty rate | 5.6% | 6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 43° | 59° / 42° |
| July high / low | 85° / 61° | 77° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 35 | 9 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 92% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | -1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +27.4% |
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: Mission Viejo: October to July. Mountain View: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Mission Viejo weather by month and Mountain View weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Mission Viejo and $82,800 in Mountain View. Moving from Mission Viejo to Mountain View, you would need about $72,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Mission Viejo and Mountain View
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Mission Viejo and Mountain View.
Which would you pick?
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