2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Mission Viejo, CA vs Carlsbad, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Carlsbad or is it cheaper to live in Mission Viejo?
- Carlsbad is 6.1% less expensive than Mission Viejo.

Which city has more affordable housing, Carlsbad or Mission Viejo?
- Carlsbad housing costs are 25.2% more expensive than Mission Viejo housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Mission Viejo or is Health Care more affordable in Carlsbad.
- Health related expenses are 4.7% less in Carlsbad.
 Mission Viejo, CACarlsbad, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.9100
 Food & Groceries103.8  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock89.0100
 Housing312.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,320,200$338,100
 Utilities102  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock125.6100
 Miscellaneous155.8  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Mission Viejo    22 Reviews

Beautiful, but for the wealthy. If you make less than 150K, you won't be able to afford to live here. Even for Southern California, MV is off-the-chart expensive. A  More

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Over 12 years ago

Mission Viejo does not charge a business license tax for businesses located in the community and home-based businesses are allowed under current zoning laws as long as  More

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Please give me your advisese i need to know how is the best place to live near los angeles, safe, earthquakes, snakes, best schools, no racism, etc...,i donĀ“t know  More

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Reviews for Carlsbad    38 Reviews

I've lived in Carlsbad (92008) for 8 years now and really appreciate all that it has to offer. Yes, ALL of San Diego County is expensive, but Carlsbad has [possibly]  More

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Over 4 years ago

Carlson has the worst winters. It averages about 10 meters of snow per week. Every shop is  More

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Ok, I get it, the climate is mild and tolerable but even that is over-rated when you consider how many cloudy days there are in this town. The sun coming out at 3 and  More

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