Riverside vs Santa Barbara
The short version
- Riverside is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Santa Barbara area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $584,800 in Riverside and $1,570,800 in Santa Barbara.
- Households earn more in Santa Barbara ($106,182 vs $91,045 median).
- Riverside has more scorching days: 100 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 5.
- Riverside is growing faster: +2.4% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Barbara (17 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Riverside, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 323,057 | 86,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.4% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 3,981 | 4,434 |
| Median age | 33.6 | 39.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $91,045 | $106,182 |
| Median home value | $584,800 | $1,570,800 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 14.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,914 | $2,413 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.4 | 108.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 129.3 | 151.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,800 | $81,600 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 40% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.3 | 17.3 |
| Work from home | 11% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 12.2% | 14% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 44° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 93° / 64° | 76° / 60° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 100 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 4 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 8 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 45% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.9% | +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: Riverside: October to May. Santa Barbara: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Riverside 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 $79,800 in Riverside and $81,600 in Santa Barbara. Moving from Riverside to Santa Barbara, you would need about $76,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Riverside 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 Riverside and Santa Barbara.
Which would you pick?
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