City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 80 miles (125 km) from Santa Barbara, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Los Angeles, CA to Santa Barbara, CA takes about 9 min, covering roughly 80 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Los Angeles has a population of 3,881,041, vs 88,640 in Santa Barbara — about 43.8× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 19 sq mi for Santa Barbara.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Los Angeles | Santa Barbara | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,209/mo | 23.3% higher in Santa Barbara |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $1,346,800 | 63.7% higher in Santa Barbara |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $98,346 | 29.0% higher in Santa Barbara |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 147.6 | 2.8% higher in Los Angeles |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.7 | 3.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.6 | 3.7% higher in Los Angeles |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need $94,267 in Santa Barbara to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Santa Barbara, CA is about 5.7% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Los Angeles than in Santa Barbara. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $75,414 in Santa Barbara to keep the same standard of living.