Cost of Living: Santa Maria, CA vs San Diego, CA
Quick rent-and-take-home comparison
Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Maria, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Diego, CA. In the model, rent is about 26.85% of gross in Santa Maria, CA versus 32.4% in San Diego, CA, so Santa Maria, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Maria, CA and San Diego, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Maria, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Maria, CA
- Lower home prices: Santa Maria, CA
- Higher median household income: San Diego, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Maria, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Diego, CA: 142.3 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Maria, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Diego, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Maria, CA: $1,750/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Diego, CA: $2,112/mo
Median rent in San Diego, CA is $362/mo higher than in Santa Maria, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Maria, CA: $478,200 · San Diego, CA: $848,500
Median home price in San Diego, CA is $370,300 higher than in Santa Maria, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Maria, CA: $84,617 · San Diego, CA: $104,321
San Diego, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Maria, CA by $19,704.
Santa Maria, CA overview · San Diego, CA overview · Popular comparisons