Living in Santa Maria, CA
Mid-size city in California
Santa Maria is a mid-size city in California, home to about 110,000 people, with 355,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Santa Maria a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 73°F
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Low natural disaster risk: 13 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Fewer graduates: 15% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Smaller job market: about 355,000 people live within 31 mi
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $645k, and rent is $4,080 a month
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Santa Maria ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Santa Maria: common questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Maria?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $645k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $4,080 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 109, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Santa Maria?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.68% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Santa Maria safe?
Santa Maria isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
What is the weather like in Santa Maria?
Santa Maria has mild winters: winter days average around 65°F and summer days around 73°F.
Does Santa Maria get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and earthquakes: 13 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.28 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Santa Maria?
The nearest major airport is BUR, about 129 mi away.
How Santa Maria scores
Each bar compares Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.