2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Santee, CA vs Lake Forest, CA

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Highlights
Are people in Lake Forest older or younger than people in Santee?
- The Median Age in Lake Forest is 0.8 years older than in Santee.

Are housing costs cheaper in Lake Forest or Santee?
- Lake Forest housing costs are 39.6% more expensive than Santee housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, Lake Forest or Santee?
- The average commute for residents of Lake Forest is 0.7 minutes shorter than it is for residents of Santee.

Things to do in Santee?
Santee, California is a vibrant and bustling city located near San Diego. With its bustling downtown area filled with shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, visitors can experience the area's unique culture and history. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy exploring any of Santee's many parks or taking in the breathtaking views of nearby Lake Murray. Plus, with its convenient location close to San Diego and other major cities of Southern California, visitors have easy access for a day trip if desired. With so much to offer, it's no wonder why Santee remains a popular destination year-round!

Things to do in Lake Forest?
Lake Forest, California markets itself as the ultimate Southern California lifestyle with numerous parks, shopping centers, and miles of trails giving visitors plenty of options for an active lifestyle.

 Santee, CALake Forest, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock85,516329,725,481
 Median Income$92,848  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock40.138.4
 Avg. Home Price$671,700  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.6%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time26.72  Unlock26.38
Reviews for Santee    10 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

I have lived in Santee for 36 years and the changes have been extensive. Traffic has been, and still is, a big problem. However, that's a problem in most CA towns and  More

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Over 13 years ago

San Diego in general is a very expensive place to live. Santee is less so but compared to the rest of the country we are way over  More

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Over 17 years ago

Santee has a great quality of life,low crime, good schools(some of the best schools east county has to offer), fairly short commute time, as it is fairly well central in  More

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Reviews for Lake Forest    16 Reviews

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

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As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

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I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  More

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