2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Alameda, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Santa Barbara or is it cheaper to live in Alameda?
- Santa Barbara is 20.9% less expensive than Alameda.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Barbara or Alameda?
- Santa Barbara housing costs are 12.3% more expensive than Alameda housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Alameda or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Barbara.
- Health related expenses are 3.1% less in Santa Barbara.
 Alameda, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.7100
 Food & Groceries112.6  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock113.2100
 Housing424.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,525,500$338,100
 Utilities89  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock97.0100
 Miscellaneous159.2  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Alameda    6 Reviews

Over 7 years ago

Having been born here & 70 now I have watched firsthand, a small, quiet town ruined by excessive building, overcrowding and far too many restaurants for a city this  More

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Enjoy the immense benefit to having a close-knit community with main-street USA feel less than 10 miles from the resources of several urban and education  More

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Alameda, CA is a unique town here in the Bay Area. Perhaps because it is an island, or perhaps because for many decades it was a U.S. Army base, the city has never  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

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Over 4 years ago

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

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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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