City comparison
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 | New York | Santa Barbara | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo | $2,209/mo | 22.4% lower in A |
| Median home value | $732,100 | $1,346,800 | 45.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $76,607 | $98,346 | 22.1% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 103.2 | 104.1 | 0.9% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 147.4 | 125.1 | 17.8% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 104.6 | 3.7% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.9 | 104.1 | 4.0% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in New York, you'd need $128,882 in Santa Barbara to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New York, NY is about 22.4% cheaper overall than Santa Barbara, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 22% lower in New York than in Santa Barbara. If you earn $80,000 in New York, you'd need about $103,106 in Santa Barbara to keep the same standard of living.