Alameda vs Santa Barbara
The short version
- Santa Barbara is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Alameda area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,235,700 in Alameda and $1,570,800 in Santa Barbara.
- Households earn more in Alameda ($137,697 vs $106,182 median).
- Santa Barbara has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 58°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Barbara (17 vs 32 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Alameda, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,876 | 86,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 7,393 | 4,434 |
| Median age | 41.0 | 39.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 62% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $137,697 | $106,182 |
| Median home value | $1,235,700 | $1,570,800 |
| Home value to income | 9.0× | 14.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,474 | $2,413 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 108.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 151.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $81,600 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 40% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.6 | 17.3 |
| Work from home | 33% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 10% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 14% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 42° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 72° / 56° | 76° / 60° |
| Precipitation per year | 19 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 45% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +43.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Alameda: March to November. Santa Barbara: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Alameda weather by month and Santa Barbara weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $86,700 in Alameda and $81,600 in Santa Barbara. Moving from Alameda to Santa Barbara, you would need about $70,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Alameda and Santa Barbara
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Alameda and Santa Barbara.
Which would you pick?
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