?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Oxnard, CA vs Santa Barbara, 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 Oxnard needs about $91,000 in Santa Barbara to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Santa Barbara, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Oxnard.

A few differences

Oxnard vs Santa Barbara · facet by facet
FacetOxnard, CASanta Barbara, CA
Median home price$652,700$1,570,800
2-bedroom rent$1,940/mo$2,772/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index131194
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$96,212$106,182
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: Oxnard, CA · Santa Barbara, CA
Questions & answers
Is Oxnard cheaper than Santa Barbara?
Oxnard has the lower day-to-day cost index (131 vs 194 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Santa Barbara equals $85,000 in Oxnard?
A household earning $85,000 in Oxnard needs about $91,000 in Santa Barbara to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Santa Barbara lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Oxnard.