Napa vs Oceanside
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $770,300 in Oceanside and $856,400 in Napa.
- Households earn more in Napa ($105,963 vs $97,737 median).
- Oceanside has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 59°F.
- Napa has more scorching days: 32 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 5.
- Commutes are shorter in Napa (24 vs 29 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Napa, CA | Oceanside, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,562 | 170,483 |
| Growth since 2020 | -3.5% | -2.1% |
| People per square mile | 4,241 | 4,131 |
| Median age | 41.5 | 38.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 36% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $105,963 | $97,737 |
| Median home value | $856,400 | $770,300 |
| Home value to income | 8.1× | 7.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,282 | $2,303 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 197.4 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.9 | 28.7 |
| Work from home | 14% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 8.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 40° | 67° / 41° |
| July high / low | 83° / 56° | 77° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 27 in | 12 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 8 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 10 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.3 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | -1.8% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.2% | +40.8% |
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: Napa: March to November. Oceanside: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Napa weather by month and Oceanside weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in Napa and $83,900 in Oceanside. Moving from Napa to Oceanside, you would need about $74,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Napa and Oceanside
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Napa and Oceanside.
Which would you pick?
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