Overall
108.8
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Cost-of-living indicators for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 108.8
- Overall RPP
- #16
- of 387 metros
- 151.4
- Rents RPP
- $92K
- $100K national buys
Santa Maria ranks #16 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
The verdict
Santa Maria is more expensive than 96% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 108.8, 8.8% above the national average, led by rents at 151.4.
- top 4%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 149.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $91,913 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $108,798.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Santa Maria's overall RPP fell -4.9 points, from 113.7 in 2023 to 108.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 175.4 to 151.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.3 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 4.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Santa Maria overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 107.5 |
| 2009 | 110.9 |
| 2010 | 108.0 |
| 2011 | 110.6 |
| 2012 | 110.0 |
| 2013 | 106.6 |
| 2014 | 107.5 |
| 2015 | 106.1 |
| 2016 | 106.6 |
| 2017 | 108.8 |
| 2018 | 112.8 |
| 2019 | 110.9 |
| 2020 | 112.0 |
| 2021 | 111.8 |
| 2022 | 114.0 |
| 2023 | 113.7 |
| 2024 | 108.8 |
Santa Maria vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
109 Top 4% higher than 96% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Santa Maria cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
151.4 RPP
- Services
Services
149.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
108.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105.2 RPP
What this shows Santa Maria's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 151.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 149.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Santa Maria's cost comes from
Metros near Santa Maria's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Santa Maria (Santa Maria, this metro): goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 151.4
- Washington: goods RPP 104.8, rents RPP 151.1
- San Luis Obispo: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 144.4
- Salinas: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 145.7
- Vallejo: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 142
- Boston: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 148.4
- Kahului: goods RPP 111.6, rents RPP 119.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.2
Above avg
Services
149.8
Expensive
Rents
151.4
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Santa Maria's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Santa Maria: rents index at 151.4, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 108.8 places Santa Maria among the priciest quarter of U.S. metros; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, Salinas, CA, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. They resemble Santa Maria across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Santa Maria's overall index has stayed within 1.3 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$108,798
in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$54,399
$75,000 nationally
$81,599
$125,000 nationally
$135,998
$150,000 nationally
$163,197
$200,000 nationally
$217,596
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
3/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
3rd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
CA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA near the bottom of CA's metros
Among the 25 CA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ranks #4 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 25
4th percentile in CA
Services prices
#23 of 25
8th percentile in CA
Rent prices
#8 of 25
68th percentile in CA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within CA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (108.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (151.4 here).
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Rents 151.3 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area Rents 150.5 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Rents 148.6 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Rents 148.4 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Rents 155.6 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Rents 146.9 Boulder, CO Rents 157.0 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Rents 139.6
Other CA Metros
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 115.6 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 113.6 Napa, CA 112.6 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 111.9 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 110.5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 110.4
View all CA metros → Cheapest in CA → Most expensive in CA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Santa Maria's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Goods 99.7 · Services 148.8 · Rents 148.4 Salinas, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 154.2 · Rents 145.7 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 147.8 · Rents 144.4 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area
Goods 97.3 · Services 147.1 · Rents 150.5 Vallejo, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 155.0 · Rents 142.0 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 154.8 · Rents 139.6
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA's index of 108.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Santa Maria
How to read Santa Maria's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $91,913 in Santa Maria. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 151.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Santa Maria head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 108.8, meaning it is 8.8% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.2, services at 149.8, and rents at 151.4. It ranks #16 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $108,798 in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. Conversely, $100K earned in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has the purchasing power of $91,913 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Rents in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are indexed at 151.4, which is 51.4% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA's overall cost index changed by +1.3 points (from 107.5 to 108.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
The priciest category in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is rents at 151.4, 51.4% above the national average. The most affordable category is goods at 105.2, 5.2% above average, still the lowest of the three categories.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Salinas. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA's 108.8.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.