Salinas vs Santa Maria
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $531,700 in Santa Maria and $654,100 in Salinas.
- Households earn more in Salinas ($91,908 vs $84,746 median).
- Santa Maria is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Maria (22 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Salinas, CA | Santa Maria, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 159,134 | 111,390 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.7% | +1.5% |
| People per square mile | 6,767 | 4,883 |
| Median age | 32.4 | 29.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17% | 16% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $91,908 | $84,746 |
| Median home value | $654,100 | $531,700 |
| Home value to income | 7.1× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,991 | $1,925 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 109.0 | 108.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 145.7 | 151.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,800 | $81,600 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.6 | 22.4 |
| Work from home | 4% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 13.6% | 17.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 62° / 42° | 65° / 41° |
| July high / low | 71° / 55° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 6 | 9 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 10 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.7 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 86% | 45% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +28.4% | +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: Salinas: February to November. Santa Maria: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Salinas weather by month and Santa Maria weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,800 in Salinas and $81,600 in Santa Maria. Moving from Salinas to Santa Maria, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Salinas and Santa Maria
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Salinas and Santa Maria.
Which would you pick?
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