Santa Maria vs Santa Rosa
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $531,700 in Santa Maria and $713,900 in Santa Rosa.
- Households earn more in Santa Rosa ($99,060 vs $84,746 median).
- Santa Maria has the warmer winter: January highs of 65°F vs 60°F.
- Santa Rosa has more scorching days: 26 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 6.
Side by side
| Santa Maria, CA | Santa Rosa, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 111,390 | 179,437 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | +0.8% |
| People per square mile | 4,883 | 4,218 |
| Median age | 29.3 | 41.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $84,746 | $99,060 |
| Median home value | $531,700 | $713,900 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,925 | $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 | 50% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.4 | 22.9 |
| Work from home | 5% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.3% | 6.3% |
| Poverty rate | 17.3% | 9.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 65° / 41° | 60° / 38° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 82° / 52° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 26 |
| Nights below freezing | 9 | 15 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 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 Maria: February to November. Santa Rosa: April to November.
Full monthly tables: Santa Maria 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 Maria and $80,800 in Santa Rosa. Moving from Santa Maria to Santa Rosa, you would need about $74,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Maria 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 Maria and Santa Rosa.
Which would you pick?
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