2026 Compare Cities Climate:
Rio Rancho, NM vs Santa Maria, CA

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Highlights
- Santa Maria has 37.5% more rainy days than Rio Rancho.
- Santa Maria has 2.6% more Sunny Days than Rio Rancho.
- On the BestPlaces comfort index, Santa Maria scores 14.3% better than Rio Rancho
 Rio Rancho, NMSanta Maria, CAUnited States
 Rainfall  Unlock1738
 Snowfall10  Unlock28
 Precipitation  Unlock46106
 Sunny273  Unlock205
 Avg. July High  Unlock7686
 Avg. Jan. Low22  Unlock22
 Comfort Index (higher=better)  Unlock8.87
 UV Index6.3  Unlock4.3
 Elevation  Unlock2172443
Reviews for Rio Rancho    21 Reviews

I have lived in the area for the past three years with my husband. Although vastly better than Albuquerque, this is not a safe area. We have had overt and petty crime on  More

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The pros: -Fairly good year-round weather. Sunny days outnumber cloudy days, there are days when the temps fall below freezing and the sun will still be shining. It's  More

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Over 6 years ago

Affordable housing, low crime (compared to Albuquerque), awesome weather with all 4 seasons, beautiful environment and some pretty awesome people. I love Rio Rancho,  More

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Reviews for Santa Maria    12 Reviews

Over 7 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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