?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Hawthorne, 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 Hawthorne needs about $95,500 in Santa Monica to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Santa Monica, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $74,500 in Hawthorne.

A few differences

Hawthorne vs Santa Monica · facet by facet
FacetHawthorne, CASanta Monica, CA
Median home price$863,400$1,755,500
2-bedroom rent$1,936/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 index143205
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$75,848$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: Hawthorne, CA · Santa Monica, CA
Questions & answers
Is Hawthorne cheaper than Santa Monica?
Hawthorne has the lower day-to-day cost index (143 vs 205 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 Hawthorne?
A household earning $85,000 in Hawthorne needs about $95,500 in Santa Monica to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Santa Monica lifestyle costs about $74,500 in Hawthorne.