San Leandro vs Santa Maria
The short version
- Santa Maria is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the San Leandro area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $531,700 in Santa Maria and $844,200 in San Leandro.
- Households earn more in San Leandro ($101,420 vs $84,746 median).
- Santa Maria has the warmer winter: January highs of 65°F vs 59°F.
- Santa Maria is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -6.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Maria (22 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Leandro, CA | Santa Maria, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,353 | 111,390 |
| Growth since 2020 | -6.2% | +1.5% |
| People per square mile | 6,406 | 4,883 |
| Median age | 41.9 | 29.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 16% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,420 | $84,746 |
| Median home value | $844,200 | $531,700 |
| Home value to income | 8.3× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,186 | $1,925 |
| 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 | 58% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.2 | 22.4 |
| Work from home | 16% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 8% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 8.3% | 17.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 43° | 65° / 41° |
| July high / low | 75° / 57° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 9 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 10 |
| 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: San Leandro: March to November. Santa Maria: February to November.
Full monthly tables: San Leandro 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 $86,700 in San Leandro and $81,600 in Santa Maria. Moving from San Leandro to Santa Maria, you would need about $70,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Leandro 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 San Leandro and Santa Maria.
Which would you pick?
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