Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
California · Ranked #348 of 373 metros
34Crisis
💡
Housing in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara costs 8.56× the median income, above the national average of 4.5×. The median home price is $781K and median rent is $1,988/month. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara ranks #348 of 373 metros for affordability.
Median Home Price
🏠$781K
Need $231K income
Median Rent
🔑$1,988
Need $80K income
Building Permits
🔨750
annual
Median Income
💰$91K
Pop: 381,858
Rent Burden
⚠️33.7%
of renters paying >30%
Homeownership
🏡51.0%
Rent Burden
vs. National Average
Key Facts vs. National Average
| Metric | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | National |
|---|---|---|
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 8.56x | 6.1x |
| Rent Burden | 33.7% | 31.5% |
| Homeownership Rate | 51.0% | 65.5% |
| YoY Rent Change | 0% | +2.8% |
| Mortgage Denial Rate | 0.0% | 13.5% |
| Eviction Rate | 0.0% | 3.6% |
HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026)
Section 8 voucher payment standards
Studio$2,459/mo
1 Bedroom$2,746/mo
2 Bedroom$3,124/mo
3 Bedroom$4,075/mo
4 Bedroom$4,647/mo
Zillow Market Data
Home Value (ZHVI)
$976K
1yr: +0.6%5yr: +43.3%
Rent (ZORI)
$3,279/mo
1yr: +0.7%5yr: +39.0%
Note: ZORI reflects current listing prices and may differ from the Census ACS median rent shown above, which captures what renters actually pay including below-market and subsidized units.
Redfin Market Activity
Median Sale Price
$1.1M
Active Inventory
608
Days on Market
46
Sold Above List
29.6%
Price Drops
16.6%