Cost of living in Santa Barbara
compared to
Cost of living in Santa Barbara vs. United States overall average
Santa Barbara is 22.4% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.1% more in Santa Barbara
- Groceries
-
pay 23.2% more in Santa Barbara
- Transportation
-
pay 8.8% more in Santa Barbara
- Housing
-
pay 40.3% more in Santa Barbara
- Childcare
-
pay 31.1% more in Santa Barbara
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.3% more in Santa Barbara
- Clothing
-
pay 12.1% more in Santa Barbara
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Santa Barbara are more expensive than in United States.
Santa Barbara Cost of Living Breakdown
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 |
$18.00
-
$40.00
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00 |
$12.00
-
$17.00
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.67 |
$2.00
-
$6.00
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.42 |
$2.00
-
$3.00
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of restaurants
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.40 |
$2.19
-
$6.61
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $12.68 |
$6.61
-
$13.23
|
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.25 |
$3.50
-
$6.00
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.38 |
$2.99
-
$7.00
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $8.38 |
$5.00
-
$10.00
|
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.90 |
$1.69
-
$5.99
|
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.74 |
$0.50
-
$2.50
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.75 |
$0.89
-
$5.00
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.48 |
$1.00
-
$6.00
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.47 |
$0.80
-
$4.99
|
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.36 |
$0.74
-
$2.00
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of groceries
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.73 |
$4.35
-
$5.50
|
| Monthly public transit pass | $52.00 |
$52.00
-
$84.00
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $28,500.00 |
$28,500.00
-
$37,649.85
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $22.78 |
$22.78
-
$37.70
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of transportation
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.25 |
$65.00
-
$100.00
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,720.83 |
$2,500.00
-
$3,000.00
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,538.89 |
$2,000.00
-
$2,800.00
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$166.24 |
$114.71
-
$268.67
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of housing
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,425.00 |
$1,000.00
-
$1,950.00
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $37,000.00 |
$30,000.00
-
$42,700.00
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of childcare
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.00 |
$5.00
-
$11.00
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $6.14 |
$5.00
-
$10.00
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.82 |
$10.59
-
$15.00
|
| Monthly membership at local gym | $66.50 |
$25.00
-
$130.00
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.50 |
$12.00
-
$15.00
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of entertainment and sports
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.00 |
$25.00
-
$89.00
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.75 |
$15.00
-
$60.00
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.00 |
$60.00
-
$125.00
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $143.33 |
$100.00
-
$250.00
|
Santa Barbara - Cost of clothing
Tip: Try viewing our aggregate cost of living in California
to see the average cost of cities throughout California, like
Walnut Creek,
San Jose,
Oakland,
Laguna Niguel,
San Dimas,
and more.
For a detailed breakdown of Santa Cruz vs. the national average, see the cost of living in United States compared to Santa Barbara.
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