San Bernardino vs Santa Monica
The short version
- San Bernardino is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Santa Monica area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $422,300 in San Bernardino and $1,755,500 in Santa Monica.
- Households earn more in Santa Monica ($114,885 vs $67,415 median).
- San Bernardino has more scorching days: 104 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 5.
- San Bernardino is growing faster: +0% since 2020 vs -3.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Monica (25 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Bernardino, CA | Santa Monica, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 222,044 | 90,082 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0% | -3.2% |
| People per square mile | 3,575 | 10,713 |
| Median age | 32.2 | 42.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13% | 71% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $67,415 | $114,885 |
| Median home value | $422,300 | $1,755,500 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 15.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,508 | $2,402 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.4 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 129.3 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,800 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 28% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.7 | 24.8 |
| Work from home | 6% | 38% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 6.7% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% | 11.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 41° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 95° / 63° | 75° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 104 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 3 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.9% | +31.9% |
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: San Bernardino: February to May and October to November. Santa Monica: January to December.
Full monthly tables: San Bernardino weather by month and Santa Monica 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 San Bernardino and $85,200 in Santa Monica. Moving from San Bernardino to Santa Monica, you would need about $80,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Bernardino and Santa Monica
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from San Bernardino and Santa Monica.
Which would you pick?
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