?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Beverly Hills, CA vs Santa Monica, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Beverly Hills needs about $83,000 in Santa Monica to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Santa Monica, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Beverly Hills.

A few differences

Beverly Hills vs Santa Monica · facet by facet
FacetBeverly Hills, CASanta Monica, CA
Median home price$2,000,001$1,755,500
2-bedroom rent$3,436/mo$2,834/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index227205
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$132,977$114,885
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Beverly Hills, CA · Santa Monica, CA
Questions & answers
Is Beverly Hills cheaper than Santa Monica?
Santa Monica has the lower day-to-day cost index (205 vs 227 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Santa Monica equals $85,000 in Beverly Hills?
A household earning $85,000 in Beverly Hills needs about $83,000 in Santa Monica to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Santa Monica lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Beverly Hills.