?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Hollister, CA vs Santa Cruz, 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 Hollister needs about $99,500 in Santa Cruz to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Santa Cruz, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $70,500 in Hollister.

A few differences

Hollister vs Santa Cruz · facet by facet
FacetHollister, CASanta Cruz, CA
Median home price$717,500$1,209,000
2-bedroom rent$1,801/mo$2,758/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index133174
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$111,834$115,475
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: Hollister, CA · Santa Cruz, CA
Questions & answers
Is Hollister cheaper than Santa Cruz?
Hollister has the lower day-to-day cost index (133 vs 174 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Santa Cruz equals $85,000 in Hollister?
A household earning $85,000 in Hollister needs about $99,500 in Santa Cruz to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Santa Cruz lifestyle costs about $70,500 in Hollister.