Head to head
Garden Grove, CA vs Oceanside, CA
Garden Grove is cheaper — estimated essentials for a single person run about $130/mo less, and living comfortably there takes roughly $3,000 less in annual salary (taxes included).
It flips for a family. For two adults with a pre-schooler and a school-age child, Oceanside is the cheaper of the two — rent scales to household size using each city's own bedroom spread, and childcare varies even more sharply between cities than rent does.
| Metric | Garden Grove65 | Oceanside60 |
|---|---|---|
| Est. monthly cost (single) | $4,582 | $4,712 |
| Est. monthly cost (family of 4, incl. childcare) | $11,747 | $11,720 |
| Salary for comfort | $87,500/yr | $90,500/yr |
| Typical rent | $1,971 | $2,207 |
| Median home value | $765,500 | $702,000 |
| Median household income | $90,166 | $93,724 |
| Unemployment | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Housing score | 26 | 20 |
| Jobs score | 48 | 47 |
| Safety score | 79 | 65 |
| Climate score | 100 | 100 |
| Amenities score | 63 | 62 |
| Population | 170.6K | 172.5K |
| Summer high / winter low | 83° / 45° | 76° / 40° |
Fit scores use the reference profile (single, $6,700/mo gross, default weights). Green marks the better value per row.
Garden Grove, CA
Oceanside, CA