Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
San Mateo
103,555
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
San Mateo
$152,669
Home Value
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
San Mateo
$1,563,200
Rent
Santa Barbara
$2,302
San Mateo
$3,079
Crime Rate
Santa Barbara
6.50
San Mateo
2.43
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
San Mateo
257.9
Avg Temp
Santa Barbara
N/A
San Mateo
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
San Mateo
4.3%
How Similar Are Santa Barbara & San Mateo?
San Mateo is Santa Barbara's #25 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
San Mateo
103,555
San Mateo has a 15% larger population than Santa Barbara.
Violent Crime
Santa Barbara
6.50
San Mateo
2.43
Santa Barbara's violent crime is significantly higher than San Mateo's — 63% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Barbara
18.10
San Mateo
18.83
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Barbara
35.1%
San Mateo
23.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Barbara has a stronger Democratic lean (34% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
San Mateo
4.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
San Mateo
$152,669
San Mateo has a 33% higher median income than Santa Barbara.
Home Values
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
San Mateo
$1,563,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Santa Barbara
36.2%
San Mateo
42.1%
San Mateo has a 14% higher education than Santa Barbara.
Demographics
Santa Barbara
63.3%
San Mateo
41.2%
Santa Barbara has a 35% higher demographics than San Mateo.
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
San Mateo
257.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Barbara and San Mateo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Barbara
0
San Mateo
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Barbara leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Barbara scores 127.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 166.7 in San Mateo. Santa Barbara scores 122.2 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 153.4 in San Mateo. Santa Barbara has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,124 vs $3,604 in San Mateo (13% lower).
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 property tax of $7,043 vs $9,646 in San Mateo (27% lower). Santa Barbara has a median rent of $2,302 vs $3,079 in San Mateo (25% lower). San Mateo has a owner-occupied of 50.8% compared to 39.8% in Santa Barbara.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Mateo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Mateo has a poverty rate of 7.9% compared to 13.1% in Santa Barbara. San Mateo has a median household income of $152,669 vs $101,672 in Santa Barbara (33% higher). San Mateo has a work from home of 22.3% 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
Source: FBI UCRSan Mateo has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.38 compared to 4.91 in Santa Barbara. San Mateo has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.43 compared to 6.50 in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.05 in San Mateo.
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 — San Mateo leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Mateo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 42.1% compared to 36.2% in Santa Barbara. San Mateo has a high school diploma or higher of 51.0% 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 ACSSan Mateo has a population of 103,555, about 1.2x the size of Santa Barbara (88,024). San Mateo skews younger with a median age of 38.0 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Barbara
San Mateo
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Mateo: 5 vs Santa Barbara: 4 for with emergency services. Santa Barbara: 5.0 vs San Mateo: 4.8 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 0.7% in San Mateo. San Mateo has a public transit of 6.1% compared to 2.3% in Santa Barbara. San Mateo has a work from home of 22.3% 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.