?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Santa Monica, CA vs Simi Valley, 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 Santa Monica needs about $83,000 in Simi Valley to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Simi Valley, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Santa Monica.

A few differences

Santa Monica vs Simi Valley · facet by facet
FacetSanta Monica, CASimi Valley, CA
Median home price$1,755,500$823,800
2-bedroom rent$2,834/mo$2,461/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index205148
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$114,885$122,081
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: Santa Monica, CA · Simi Valley, CA
Questions & answers
Is Santa Monica cheaper than Simi Valley?
Simi Valley has the lower day-to-day cost index (148 vs 205 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Simi Valley equals $85,000 in Santa Monica?
A household earning $85,000 in Santa Monica needs about $83,000 in Simi Valley to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Simi Valley lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Santa Monica.