Living in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Suburb in California
Rancho Santa Margarita is a suburb in California, home to about 47,000 people, with 5.5 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Rancho Santa Margarita a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 11 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Safe: violent crime is 0.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Big job market: about 5.5 million people live within 31 mi
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $1.03M, and rent is $4,390 a month
- Higher taxes: about $3,279 state income tax per resident, 0.69% property tax
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Rancho Santa Margarita ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Rancho Santa Margarita: common questions
What is the cost of living in Rancho Santa Margarita?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $1.03M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $4,390 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 114, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Rancho Santa Margarita?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.69% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Rancho Santa Margarita safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Rancho Santa Margarita?
Rancho Santa Margarita is warm all year: winter days average around 69°F and summer days around 87°F.
Does Rancho Santa Margarita get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, earthquakes and wildfires: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.19 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Rancho Santa Margarita?
The nearest major airport is SNA, about 16 mi away.
How Rancho Santa Margarita scores
Each bar compares Rancho Santa Margarita with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Rancho Santa Margarita right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.