2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Duarte, CA vs Santa Maria, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Santa Maria or is it cheaper to live in Duarte?
- Santa Maria is 4.3% less expensive than Duarte.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Maria or Duarte?
- Santa Maria housing costs are 24.5% less expensive than Duarte housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Duarte or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Maria.
- Health related expenses are 30.6% more in Santa Maria.
 Duarte, CASanta Maria, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.7100
 Food & Groceries101.4  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock113.2100
 Housing222.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$565,100$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock95.2100
 Miscellaneous133.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Duarte    5 Reviews

For some reason Duarte gets a bad rap for being gang infested etc. I was born and raised here and I have always felt safe. There are bad apples in every city but Duarte  More

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Over 15 years ago

Been living here for over 40 years and gang members took over, many shootings and crime makes you not want to leave your home. City has 3 police patrol cars and they  More

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Over 18 years ago

We lived in Duarte for around 3 years in the late 90's. It was nice because of the jogging paths and trails for horses. It's a very quiet community, has a few nice  More

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Reviews for Santa Maria    12 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

I live in Orcutt which is a town of around 35,000 on the south side of Santa Maria. Santa Maria has, as everyone has noted, the best climate in the world. It never  More

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I have lived in Santa Maria / Orcutt for several years, but it is time to leave. I have no issues with the weather. Our climate is mild and comfortable with no extremes.  More

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The weather is very mild without a huge temperature change with the seasons. The winters are chilly but not cold and the summers are warm but not hot. Of course there  More

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