Moreno Valley vs Rancho Cordova
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $477,600 in Rancho Cordova and $503,700 in Moreno Valley.
- Moreno Valley has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 57°F.
- Rancho Cordova is growing faster: +10.4% since 2020 vs +2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rancho Cordova (27 vs 36 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Moreno Valley, CA | Rancho Cordova, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 214,263 | 87,554 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.7% | +10.4% |
| People per square mile | 4,176 | 2,533 |
| Median age | 32.5 | 36.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,222 | $89,585 |
| Median home value | $503,700 | $477,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.4× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,135 | $1,787 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.4 | 106.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 129.3 | 130.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,800 | $80,000 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 35.5 | 26.7 |
| Work from home | 8% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.1% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% | 12.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 41° | 57° / 41° |
| July high / low | 95° / 63° | 94° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 104 | 90 |
| Nights below freezing | 3 | 4 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 35% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +0.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.9% | +19.9% |
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: Moreno Valley: February to May and October to November. Rancho Cordova: February to May and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Moreno Valley weather by month and Rancho Cordova 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 Moreno Valley and $80,000 in Rancho Cordova. Moving from Moreno Valley to Rancho Cordova, you would need about $75,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Moreno Valley and Rancho Cordova
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Moreno Valley and Rancho Cordova.
Which would you pick?
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