Cost of Living: Santa Maria, 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 Maria, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Francisco, CA. In the model, rent is about 26.85% of gross in Santa Maria, CA versus 35.25% in San Francisco, 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 Francisco, 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 Francisco, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Maria, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Francisco, CA: 225.8 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Maria, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Francisco, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Maria, CA: $1,750/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Francisco, CA: $2,298/mo
Median rent in San Francisco, CA is $548/mo higher than in Santa Maria, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Maria, CA: $478,200 · San Francisco, CA: $1,380,500
Median home price in San Francisco, CA is $902,300 higher than in Santa Maria, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Maria, CA: $84,617 · San Francisco, CA: $141,446
San Francisco, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Maria, CA by $56,829.
Santa Maria, CA overview · San Francisco, CA overview · Popular comparisons