Cost of Living: Santa Barbara, CA vs San Francisco, CA
Quick rent-and-take-home comparison
Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Barbara, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Francisco, CA. In the model, rent is about 33.55% of gross in Santa Barbara, CA versus 35.25% in San Francisco, CA, so Santa Barbara, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Barbara, CA and San Francisco, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Barbara, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Barbara, CA
- Lower home prices: San Francisco, CA
- Higher median household income: San Francisco, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Barbara, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Francisco, CA: 225.8 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Barbara, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Francisco, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Barbara, CA: $2,187/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Francisco, CA: $2,298/mo
Median rent in San Francisco, CA is $111/mo higher than in Santa Barbara, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Barbara, CA: $1,466,400 · San Francisco, CA: $1,380,500
Median home price in Santa Barbara, CA is $85,900 higher than in San Francisco, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Barbara, CA: $101,672 · San Francisco, CA: $141,446
San Francisco, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Barbara, CA by $39,774.
Santa Barbara, CA overview · San Francisco, CA overview · Popular comparisons