Oceanside, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Oceanside.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Oceanside compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 172,542City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $93,724Incorporated place (ACS)19% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 198ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)98% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $702,000City limits (ACS)131% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $2,207City limits (ACS)64% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.9%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 28 min12% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 44Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 402annualized per 100k · citywide33% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2109.2annualized per 100k · citywide32% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 76°F11.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 41°F7.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 11.9 in64% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 31117% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Oceanside with another city
Relocators eyeing Oceanside, California will find roughly 172,542 residents within city limits. Households here report a median income near $93,724; our housing-derived cost index is about 198 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Budget for median rents around $2,207 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 311 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 28 minutes one-way, with walkability near 44/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.9% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 402 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Oceanside is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Oceanside with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Oceanside city, 1600000US0653322)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060730000000003 (San Diego County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00053121 OCEANSIDE MUNI AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28