San Leandro vs Santa Monica
The short version
- Santa Monica is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the San Leandro area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $844,200 in San Leandro and $1,755,500 in Santa Monica.
- Households earn more in Santa Monica ($114,885 vs $101,420 median).
- Santa Monica has the warmer winter: January highs of 66°F vs 59°F.
- Santa Monica is growing faster: -3.2% since 2020 vs -6.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Monica (25 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Leandro, CA | Santa Monica, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,353 | 90,082 |
| Growth since 2020 | -6.2% | -3.2% |
| People per square mile | 6,406 | 10,713 |
| Median age | 41.9 | 42.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 71% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,420 | $114,885 |
| Median home value | $844,200 | $1,755,500 |
| Home value to income | 8.3× | 15.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,186 | $2,402 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 28% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.2 | 24.8 |
| Work from home | 16% | 38% |
| Take public transit | 8% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 6.7% |
| Poverty rate | 8.3% | 11.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 43° | 66° / 49° |
| July high / low | 75° / 57° | 75° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 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 | n/a | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +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 Leandro: March to November. Santa Monica: January to December.
Full monthly tables: San Leandro 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 $86,700 in San Leandro and $85,200 in Santa Monica. Moving from San Leandro to Santa Monica, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Leandro 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 Leandro and Santa Monica.
Which would you pick?
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