Mountain View vs Torrance
The short version
- Mountain View is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Torrance area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,074,700 in Torrance and $1,927,000 in Mountain View.
- Households earn more in Mountain View ($189,917 vs $116,217 median).
- Torrance has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 59°F.
- Mountain View is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -5.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Mountain View (23 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Mountain View, CA | Torrance, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,438 | 138,391 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.5% | -5.8% |
| People per square mile | 7,145 | 6,746 |
| Median age | 35.5 | 43.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 75% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $189,917 | $116,217 |
| Median home value | $1,927,000 | $1,074,700 |
| Home value to income | 10.1× | 9.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $3,062 | $2,280 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 110.4 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 211.9 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $82,800 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 39% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.3 | 26.9 |
| Work from home | 31% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 6% | 7.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 42° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 77° / 59° | 77° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 12 |
| 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 | 92% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | -1% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.4% | +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: Mountain View: March to November. Torrance: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Mountain View weather by month and Torrance weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $82,800 in Mountain View and $85,200 in Torrance. Moving from Mountain View to Torrance, you would need about $77,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Mountain View and Torrance
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Mountain View and Torrance.
Which would you pick?
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