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 Maria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo | $1,768/mo | 3.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $732,100 | $438,100 | 67.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $76,607 | $81,237 | 5.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 103.2 | 107.3 | 3.8% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 147.4 | 130.3 | 13.2% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 111.2 | 9.4% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.9 | 112.8 | 11.4% 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 $103,798 in Santa Maria to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New York, NY is about 3.7% cheaper overall than Santa Maria, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% lower in New York than in Santa Maria. If you earn $80,000 in New York, you'd need about $83,038 in Santa Maria to keep the same standard of living.