Santa Barbara vs Santa Rosa
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $713,900 in Santa Rosa and $1,570,800 in Santa Barbara.
- Households earn more in Santa Barbara ($106,182 vs $99,060 median).
- Santa Barbara has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 60°F.
- Santa Rosa has more scorching days: 26 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 5.
- Santa Rosa is growing faster: +0.8% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Barbara (17 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Santa Barbara, CA | Santa Rosa, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 86,422 | 179,437 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.7% | +0.8% |
| People per square mile | 4,434 | 4,218 |
| Median age | 39.7 | 41.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $106,182 | $99,060 |
| Median home value | $1,570,800 | $713,900 |
| Home value to income | 14.8× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,413 | $2,152 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.8 | 107.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.4 | 139.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,600 | $80,800 |
| Homeowners | 40% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.3 | 22.9 |
| Work from home | 19% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.8% | 6.3% |
| Poverty rate | 14% | 9.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 47° | 60° / 38° |
| July high / low | 76° / 60° | 82° / 52° |
| Precipitation per year | 19 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 26 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 15 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 8 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.0 | 99.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 45% | 100% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.3% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.7% | +17.6% |
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: Santa Barbara: January to December. Santa Rosa: April to November.
Full monthly tables: Santa Barbara weather by month and Santa Rosa weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,600 in Santa Barbara and $80,800 in Santa Rosa. Moving from Santa Barbara to Santa Rosa, you would need about $74,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Barbara and Santa Rosa
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Santa Barbara and Santa Rosa.
Which would you pick?
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