Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Monterey
29,772
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Monterey
$104,110
Home Value
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Monterey
$1,003,300
Rent
Santa Barbara
$2,302
Monterey
$2,288
Crime Rate
Santa Barbara
6.50
Monterey
3.89
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Monterey
207.0
Avg Temp
Santa Barbara
N/A
Monterey
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Monterey
5.5%
How Similar Are Santa Barbara & Monterey?
Monterey is Santa Barbara's #5 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Monterey
29,772
Santa Barbara (88,024) is about 3.0x larger than Monterey (29,772).
Violent Crime
Santa Barbara
6.50
Monterey
3.89
Santa Barbara has a 40% higher violent crime than Monterey.
Property Crime
Santa Barbara
18.10
Monterey
17.82
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Barbara
35.1%
Monterey
33.6%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 4% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Monterey
5.5%
Monterey has a 15% higher unemployment than Santa Barbara.
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Monterey
$104,110
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Monterey
$1,003,300
Santa Barbara has a 32% higher home values than Monterey.
Education
Santa Barbara
36.2%
Monterey
40.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Santa Barbara
63.3%
Monterey
67.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Monterey
207.0
Santa Barbara has a 12% higher cost of living than Monterey.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Barbara and Monterey share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Barbara
0
Monterey
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 (23% 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 median home value of $1,466,400 vs $1,003,300 in Monterey (46% higher). Santa Barbara has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 9.7% in Monterey. Monterey has a median property tax of $5,799 vs $7,043 in Santa Barbara (21% 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 poverty rate of 10.5% compared to 13.1% 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 UCRMonterey 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. Santa Barbara has a violent crime clearance of 62.8% compared to 39.3% in Monterey.
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
Santa Barbara
Monterey
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 Santa Barbara, CA
Compare Santa Barbara 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.