Population
Santa Monica
91,535
Carlsbad
114,500
Median Income
Santa Monica
$109,739
Carlsbad
$139,326
Home Value
Santa Monica
$1,810,200
Carlsbad
$1,156,900
Rent
Santa Monica
$2,338
Carlsbad
$2,678
Crime Rate
Santa Monica
7.82
Carlsbad
1.99
Cost of Living
Santa Monica
241.2
Carlsbad
250.2
Avg Temp
Santa Monica
N/A
Carlsbad
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Monica
6.1%
Carlsbad
6.3%
How Similar Are Santa Monica & Carlsbad?
Carlsbad is Santa Monica's #7 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Monica
91,535
Carlsbad
114,500
Carlsbad has a 20% larger population than Santa Monica.
Violent Crime
Santa Monica
7.82
Carlsbad
1.99
Santa Monica's violent crime is significantly higher than Carlsbad's — 75% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Monica
47.90
Carlsbad
15.11
Santa Monica's property crime is significantly higher than Carlsbad's — 68% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Monica
31.9%
Carlsbad
40.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Carlsbad has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Monica
6.1%
Carlsbad
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Santa Monica
$109,739
Carlsbad
$139,326
Carlsbad has a 21% higher median income than Santa Monica.
Home Values
Santa Monica
$1,810,200
Carlsbad
$1,156,900
Santa Monica has a 36% higher home values than Carlsbad.
Education
Santa Monica
55.4%
Carlsbad
43.6%
Santa Monica has a 21% higher education than Carlsbad.
Demographics
Santa Monica
66.9%
Carlsbad
71.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Monica
241.2
Carlsbad
250.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Monica and Carlsbad differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Santa Monica
0
Carlsbad
Santa Monica leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Monica leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCarlsbad scores 139.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 167.8 in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,459 in Carlsbad (15% lower). Santa Monica scores 133.9 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 156.5 in Carlsbad.
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 — Carlsbad leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCarlsbad has a single-family homes of 69.2% compared to 22.6% in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has a median home value of $1,810,200 vs $1,156,900 in Carlsbad (56% higher). Carlsbad has a owner-occupied of 63.3% compared to 28.8% in Santa Monica.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Carlsbad leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCarlsbad has a poverty rate of 6.9% compared to 11.6% in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has a per capita income of $90,657 vs $70,896 in Carlsbad (28% higher). Carlsbad has a median household income of $139,326 vs $109,739 in Santa Monica (21% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Carlsbad leads
Source: FBI UCRCarlsbad has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.35 compared to 2.02 in Santa Monica. Carlsbad has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.04 in Santa Monica. Carlsbad has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.99 compared to 7.82 in Santa Monica.
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 — Santa Monica leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSanta Monica has a bachelor's degree or higher of 55.4% compared to 43.6% in Carlsbad. Santa Monica has a high school diploma or higher of 62.3% compared to 50.1% in Carlsbad.
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 ACSCarlsbad has a population of 114,500, about 1.3x the size of Santa Monica (91,535).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Monica
Carlsbad
Healthcare — Santa Monica leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Monica: 3.8 vs Carlsbad: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Santa Monica: 5 vs Carlsbad: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Santa Monica leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Monica has a bicycle of 2.7% compared to 0.5% in Carlsbad. Santa Monica has a public transit of 2.8% compared to 0.8% in Carlsbad. Carlsbad has a drive alone of 62.3% compared to 50.6% in Santa Monica.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Santa Monica, CA
Compare Santa Monica 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.