Santa Maria vs Vista
The short version
- Santa Maria is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Vista area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $531,700 in Santa Maria and $762,400 in Vista.
- Households earn more in Vista ($94,975 vs $84,746 median).
- Santa Maria is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -0.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Maria (22 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Santa Maria, CA | Vista, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 111,390 | 98,274 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | -0.5% |
| People per square mile | 4,883 | 5,180 |
| Median age | 29.3 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $84,746 | $94,975 |
| Median home value | $531,700 | $762,400 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 8.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,925 | $2,249 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.8 | 111.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.4 | 179.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,600 | $83,900 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.4 | 26.7 |
| Work from home | 5% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| Poverty rate | 17.3% | 10.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 65° / 41° | 65° / 48° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 74° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 11 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 3 |
| Nights below freezing | 9 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.0 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 45% | 18% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.3% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.7% | +40.8% |
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. Vista: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Santa Maria weather by month and Vista 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 $83,900 in Vista. Moving from Santa Maria to Vista, you would need about $77,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Maria and Vista
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 Vista.
Which would you pick?
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