San Mateo vs Santa Barbara
The short version
- Santa Barbara is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the San Mateo area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,570,800 in Santa Barbara and $1,618,700 in San Mateo.
- Households earn more in San Mateo ($153,504 vs $106,182 median).
- Santa Barbara has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 58°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Barbara (17 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Mateo, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 103,337 | 86,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.2% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 8,516 | 4,434 |
| Median age | 38.3 | 39.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $153,504 | $106,182 |
| Median home value | $1,618,700 | $1,570,800 |
| Home value to income | 10.5× | 14.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $3,077 | $2,413 |
| 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 | 50% | 40% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 17.3 |
| Work from home | 25% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 8.2% | 14% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 45° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 76° / 60° |
| Precipitation per year | 20 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 45% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.3% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.5% | +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 Mateo: March to November. Santa Barbara: January to December.
Full monthly tables: San Mateo 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 $86,700 in San Mateo and $81,600 in Santa Barbara. Moving from San Mateo to Santa Barbara, you would need about $70,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Mateo 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 San Mateo and Santa Barbara.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.