Population
Santa Monica
91,535
Monterey
29,772
Median Income
Santa Monica
$109,739
Monterey
$104,110
Home Value
Santa Monica
$1,810,200
Monterey
$1,003,300
Rent
Santa Monica
$2,338
Monterey
$2,288
Crime Rate
Santa Monica
7.82
Monterey
3.89
Cost of Living
Santa Monica
241.2
Monterey
207.0
Avg Temp
Santa Monica
N/A
Monterey
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Monica
6.1%
Monterey
5.5%
How Similar Are Santa Monica & Monterey?
Monterey is Santa Monica's #12 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Monica
91,535
Monterey
29,772
Santa Monica (91,535) is about 3.1x larger than Monterey (29,772).
Violent Crime
Santa Monica
7.82
Monterey
3.89
Santa Monica has a 50% higher violent crime than Monterey.
Property Crime
Santa Monica
47.90
Monterey
17.82
Santa Monica's property crime is significantly higher than Monterey's — 63% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Monica
31.9%
Monterey
33.6%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 5% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Monica
6.1%
Monterey
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Santa Monica
$109,739
Monterey
$104,110
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Santa Monica
$1,810,200
Monterey
$1,003,300
Santa Monica has a 45% higher home values than Monterey.
Education
Santa Monica
55.4%
Monterey
40.0%
Santa Monica has a 28% higher education than Monterey.
Demographics
Santa Monica
66.9%
Monterey
67.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 0% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Monica
241.2
Monterey
207.0
Santa Monica has a 14% higher cost of living than Monterey.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Monica and Monterey share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Monica
0
Monterey
Cost of Living & Affordability — Monterey leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMonterey scores 103.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 167.8 in Santa Monica. Monterey scores 340.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Santa Monica. Monterey scores 207.0 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 241.2 in Santa Monica.
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 — Monterey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Monica has a median home value of $1,810,200 vs $1,003,300 in Monterey (80% higher). Monterey has a median property tax of $5,799 vs $10,001 in Santa Monica (72% lower). Monterey has a single-family homes of 51.5% compared to 22.6% in Santa Monica.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Santa Monica leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Monica: 54,093 vs Monterey: 17,944 for labor force. Santa Monica has a work from home of 33.1% compared to 20.5% in Monterey. Santa Monica has a per capita income of $90,657 vs $62,541 in Monterey (45% higher).
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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.63 compared to 2.02 in Santa Monica. Monterey has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.74 compared to 8.49 in Santa Monica. Monterey has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 17.82 compared to 47.90 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 40.0% in Monterey. Santa Monica has a high school diploma or higher of 62.3% compared to 49.4% in Monterey.
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 Monica has a population of 91,535, about 3.1x the size of Monterey (29,772). Monterey skews younger with a median age of 37.1 vs 42.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Monica
Monterey
Healthcare — Santa Monica leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Monica: 3.8 vs Monterey: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Santa Monica: 5 vs Monterey: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Monica has a work from home of 33.1% compared to 20.5% in Monterey. Santa Monica has a bicycle of 2.7% compared to 1.7% in Monterey. Monterey has a drive alone of 58.3% 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.