2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Costa Mesa, CA vs Wilmington, NC

#2 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

#2 Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat

#43 Best Cities for Board Gamers

#47 Gloomiest Places in America

#50 America's Top Hygge Cities

#38 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#104 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)

#172 2005 Best Places to Live

#233 Best Green Cities

Costa mesa has awesome shopping but is way too crowded and I have had 3 cars stolen in the past 5 years along with countless break-ins and theft. Expensive. Close to  More

Costa Mesa has a near perfect climate . . . plenty of sun but rarely over 100 degrees (our house doesn't even have AC). Nestled between Newport Beach and Huntington  More

We have a good amount of low-income, medium-income, and relatively high-income  More

I was born here and I will update more at a later time. First and most important, teh average cost of a 1br apt in Wilmington is approximately $1,800. Rentals have  More

I think that a lot has changed since covid for this city and will continue to keep changing with our insane economy. But I was born and raised in Wilmington and have  More

Wilmington NC was once a wonderful city filled with Southern charm, history, safety and natural beauty. Recently that has been replaced by erasing everything Southern or  More