Cost of Living: Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Francisco, CA. In the model, rent is about 34.06% of gross in Santa Monica, CA versus 35.25% in San Francisco, CA, so Santa Monica, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Monica, CA and San Francisco, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Monica, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Monica, CA
- Lower home prices: San Francisco, CA
- Higher median household income: San Francisco, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Monica, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Francisco, CA: 225.8 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Monica, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Francisco, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Monica, CA: $2,221/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Francisco, CA: $2,298/mo
Median rent in San Francisco, CA is $77/mo higher than in Santa Monica, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Monica, CA: $1,810,200 · San Francisco, CA: $1,380,500
Median home price in Santa Monica, CA is $429,700 higher than in San Francisco, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Monica, CA: $109,739 · San Francisco, CA: $141,446
San Francisco, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Monica, CA by $31,707.
Santa Monica, CA overview · San Francisco, CA overview · Popular comparisons