Living in Santa Monica, CA
Beach town in California
Santa Monica is a beach town in California, home to about 92,000 people, with 9.0 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Santa Monica a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 25 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 69°F
- Easy flying: LAX is 7 mi away
- Big job market: about 9.0 million people live within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Few dog parks: 26 within 9 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $2.14M, and rent is $3,300 a month
- Higher crime: violent crime is 1.9× the US rate (FBI 2019)
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Santa Monica ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Santa Monica: common questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Monica?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $2.14M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,300 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 114, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Santa Monica?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.55% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Santa Monica safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (1.9× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Santa Monica?
Santa Monica has mild winters: winter days average around 63°F and summer days around 69°F.
Does Santa Monica get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is high, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 15 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.96 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Santa Monica?
The nearest major airport is LAX, about 7 mi away.
How Santa Monica scores
Each bar compares Santa Monica 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 Monica right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.