Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Barbara vs. Houston Cost of Living Summary
Santa Barbara is 27.9% more expensive than Houston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.0% more in Santa Barbara
- Groceries
-
pay 47.2% more in Santa Barbara
- Transportation
-
pay 18.7% more in Santa Barbara
- Housing
-
pay 45.0% more in Santa Barbara
- Childcare
-
pay 27.5% more in Santa Barbara
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.5% more in Santa Barbara
- Clothing
-
pay 11.2% more in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara vs. Houston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Barbara instead of Houston, you would:
pay 20.0% more for restaurants
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.76
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$2.42
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of restaurants
pay 47.2% more for groceries
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
|
$4.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
|
$12.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$5.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.35
|
$5.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$8.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.88
|
$2.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$2.48
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.36
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of groceries
pay 18.7% more for transportation
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.81
|
$4.73
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$52.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,278.39
|
$28,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.39
|
$22.78
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of transportation
pay 45.0% more for housing
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.76
|
$74.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,660.33
|
$2,720.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,287.77
|
$2,538.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$145.65
|
$166.24
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of housing
pay 27.5% more for childcare
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,258.33
|
$1,425.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,120.00
|
$37,000.00
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of childcare
pay 25.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.41
|
$6.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.95
|
$11.82
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.29
|
$66.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.50
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.2% more for clothing
|
Houston
|
Santa Barbara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.57
|
$69.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.00
|
$40.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.95
|
$77.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.43
|
$143.33
|
|
Houston vs. Santa Barbara - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: October 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Houston vs. Santa Barbara
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Santa Barbara or Houston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.