?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Lake Forest, CA vs San Juan Capistrano, 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 Lake Forest needs about $79,500 in San Juan Capistrano to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from San Juan Capistrano, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $90,500 in Lake Forest.

A few differences

Lake Forest vs San Juan Capistrano · facet by facet
FacetLake Forest, CASan Juan Capistrano, CA
Median home price$937,000$993,800
2-bedroom rent$2,747/mo$2,401/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index158157
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$135,175$129,457
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: Lake Forest, CA · San Juan Capistrano, CA
Questions & answers
Is Lake Forest cheaper than San Juan Capistrano?
San Juan Capistrano has the lower day-to-day cost index (157 vs 158 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in San Juan Capistrano equals $85,000 in Lake Forest?
A household earning $85,000 in Lake Forest needs about $79,500 in San Juan Capistrano to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of San Juan Capistrano lifestyle costs about $90,500 in Lake Forest.