Goleta vs Santa Barbara
Goleta, California versus Santa Barbara, California: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Goleta and Santa Barbara score about the same overall (52 vs 49 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Goleta | Santa Barbara |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $114k | $98k |
| Cost of Living | $87k | $87k |
| Home Value | $911k | $1.3M |
| Monthly Rent | $2k | $2k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $4k | $4k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.62% | 0.53% |
| Income Tax | 13.30% | 13.30% |
| Sales Tax | 8.85% | 8.85% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 21.17% | 23.44% |
| Unemployment | 4.0% | 4.4% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 53°F | 53°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 65°F | 65°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 17.3 in | 19.0 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sunny Days | 276 days | 276 days |
| Summer Humidity | 58°F | 58°F |
| Comfortable Days | 240 days | 254 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 84.1 | 92.6 |
| Air Quality | 36 AQI | 37 AQI |
| School Quality | 73.5 | 73.9 |
| Violent Crime | 683/100k | 1502/100k |
| Property Crime | 1625/100k | 2052/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 32,640 | 88,640 |
| Median Age | 35.0 | 39.6 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.62 | 0.50 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 1.07 | 0.98 |
| Political Leaning | D+33 | D+33 |
| White (%) | 46.3% | 55.1% |
| Black (%) | 2.3% | 1.2% |
| Hispanic (%) | 36.4% | 36.1% |
| Asian (%) | 10.5% | 3.6% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 4.5% | 4.0% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 18 min | 18 min |
| Walkability | 9.8/20 | 9.3/20 |
| Airport Distance | 90 mi | 84 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 92.2% | 92.8% |
| Amenities Nearby | 71.08 | 51.78 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Excellent |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Goleta or Santa Barbara more affordable?
- Santa Barbara has the lower cost of living: its index is $87k, compared with Goleta's $87k and Santa Barbara's $87k. Median rent is $2k in Goleta versus $2k in Santa Barbara.
- Is Goleta or Santa Barbara safer?
- Goleta has the lower violent crime rate. Goleta reports 683/100k and Santa Barbara reports 1502/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Goleta or Santa Barbara?
- The median home value is $911k in Goleta and $1.3M in Santa Barbara, so homes are more affordable in Goleta.