Santa Clarita vs Vacaville
The short version
- Vacaville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Santa Clarita area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $620,900 in Vacaville and $784,700 in Santa Clarita.
- Households earn more in Santa Clarita ($123,062 vs $111,126 median).
- Santa Clarita has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 58°F.
- Vacaville is growing faster: +1.4% since 2020 vs -1.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Vacaville (28 vs 34 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Santa Clarita, CA | Vacaville, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 228,430 | 103,850 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.9% | +1.4% |
| People per square mile | 3,103 | 3,477 |
| Median age | 38.4 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $123,062 | $111,126 |
| Median home value | $784,700 | $620,900 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,544 | $2,299 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 108.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 142.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $81,400 |
| Homeowners | 72% | 68% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 34.1 | 28.2 |
| Work from home | 19% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 8.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 47° | 58° / 38° |
| July high / low | 94° / 63° | 95° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 17 in | 25 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 87 | 88 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 21 |
| Comfortable months | 8 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 97.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 99% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | -0.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +14.3% |
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 Clarita: October to May. Vacaville: March to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Santa Clarita weather by month and Vacaville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Santa Clarita and $81,400 in Vacaville. Moving from Santa Clarita to Vacaville, you would need about $71,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Clarita and Vacaville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Santa Clarita and Vacaville.
Which would you pick?
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