?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Foster City, CA vs La Mirada, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Foster City needs about $57,500 in La Mirada to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from La Mirada, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $113,000 in Foster City.

A few differences

Foster City vs La Mirada · facet by facet
FacetFoster City, CALa Mirada, CA
Median home price$1,838,200$825,900
2-bedroom rent$3,501/mo$2,068/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index219143
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$199,143$109,288
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Foster City, CA · La Mirada, CA
Questions & answers
Is Foster City cheaper than La Mirada?
La Mirada has the lower day-to-day cost index (143 vs 219 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in La Mirada equals $85,000 in Foster City?
A household earning $85,000 in Foster City needs about $57,500 in La Mirada to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of La Mirada lifestyle costs about $113,000 in Foster City.