| | Santa Cruz, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | United States |
| Overall | 186.0 | 154.7 | 100 |
| Food & Groceries | 111.5 | 113.8 | 100 |
| Health | 109.2 | 113.2 | 100 |
| Housing | 420.7 | 476.7 | 100 |
| Median Home Cost | $1,270,800 | $1,525,500 | $338,100 |
| Utilities | 9,350.0% | 9,020.0% | 10,000.0% |
| Transportation | 110.5 | 97.0 | 100 |
| Miscellaneous | 155.7 | 142.5 | 100 |
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Santa Cruz 
44 Reviews
I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we More
I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class More
I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity, More
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Reviews for Santa Barbara 
51 Reviews
I moved to Santa Barbara around 23 years ago to study at Brooks, which like most of the Santa Barbara that I knew—has been destroyed. Homelessness, drugs, gangs, high More
I fell in love with Santa Barbara about thirty years ago and finally moved here a few years ago. Because of the price of homes, it is an expensive place to live. The More
If you like high crime, paying a $4,500 a month mortgage and crazy high taxes, this is the place for you. It’s too bad because it wasn’t always like this. When I moved More
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