?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Delano, CA vs Santa Maria, 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 Delano needs about $100,000 in Santa Maria to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Santa Maria, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $70,500 in Delano.

A few differences

Delano vs Santa Maria · facet by facet
FacetDelano, CASanta Maria, CA
Median home price$301,900$531,700
2-bedroom rent$1,187/mo$1,856/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index101123
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$67,010$84,746
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: Delano, CA · Santa Maria, CA
Questions & answers
Is Delano cheaper than Santa Maria?
Delano has the lower day-to-day cost index (101 vs 123 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Santa Maria equals $85,000 in Delano?
A household earning $85,000 in Delano needs about $100,000 in Santa Maria to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Santa Maria lifestyle costs about $70,500 in Delano.