Population
Monterey
29,772
Santa Barbara
88,024
Median Income
Monterey
$104,110
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Home Value
Monterey
$1,003,300
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Rent
Monterey
$2,288
Santa Barbara
$2,302
Crime Rate
Monterey
3.89
Santa Barbara
6.50
Cost of Living
Monterey
207.0
Santa Barbara
235.7
Avg Temp
Monterey
N/A
Santa Barbara
N/A
Unemployment
Monterey
5.5%
Santa Barbara
4.7%
How Similar Are Monterey & Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara is Monterey's #21 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Monterey
29,772
Santa Barbara
88,024
Santa Barbara (88,024) is about 3.0x larger than Monterey (29,772).
Violent Crime
Monterey
3.89
Santa Barbara
6.50
Santa Barbara has a 40% higher violent crime than Monterey.
Property Crime
Monterey
17.82
Santa Barbara
18.10
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Monterey
33.6%
Santa Barbara
35.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 4% difference.
Unemployment
Monterey
5.5%
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Monterey has a 15% higher unemployment than Santa Barbara.
Median Income
Monterey
$104,110
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Monterey
$1,003,300
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Santa Barbara has a 32% higher home values than Monterey.
Education
Monterey
40.0%
Santa Barbara
36.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Monterey
67.0%
Santa Barbara
63.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Monterey
207.0
Santa Barbara
235.7
Santa Barbara has a 12% higher cost of living than Monterey.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Monterey and Santa Barbara share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Monterey
0
Santa Barbara
Cost of Living & Affordability — Monterey leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMonterey scores 103.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 155.4 in Santa Barbara. Monterey has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,232 vs $2,746 in Santa Barbara (19% lower). Monterey scores 340.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Santa Barbara.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Santa Barbara leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 9.7% in Monterey. Santa Barbara has a median home value of $1,466,400 vs $1,003,300 in Monterey (32% higher). Monterey has a median property tax of $5,799 vs $7,043 in Santa Barbara (18% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Santa Barbara leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara: 48,520 vs Monterey: 17,944 for labor force. Santa Barbara has a government sector of 42.4% compared to 32.1% in Monterey. Monterey has a work from home of 20.5% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Monterey leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Barbara has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.70 compared to 2.74 in Monterey. Monterey has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.54 compared to 4.91 in Santa Barbara. Monterey has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.89 compared to 6.50 in Santa Barbara.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Monterey leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMonterey has a bachelor's degree or higher of 40.0% compared to 36.2% in Santa Barbara. Monterey has a high school diploma or higher of 49.4% compared to 44.7% in Santa Barbara.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a population of 88,024, about 3x the size of Monterey (29,772). Monterey skews younger with a median age of 37.1 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Monterey
Santa Barbara
Healthcare — Santa Barbara leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Barbara: 5.0 vs Monterey: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a bicycle of 3.2% compared to 1.7% in Monterey. Monterey has a public transit of 3.2% compared to 2.3% in Santa Barbara. Monterey has a work from home of 20.5% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Monterey, CA
Compare Monterey against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.