2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Rosemead, 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 Rosemead?
- Santa Barbara is 4.3% less expensive than Rosemead.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Barbara or Rosemead?
- Santa Barbara housing costs are 93.9% more expensive than Rosemead housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Rosemead or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Barbara.
- Health related expenses are 30.6% more in Santa Barbara.
 Rosemead, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.7100
 Food & Groceries102.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock113.2100
 Housing245.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,525,500$338,100
 Utilities99  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock97.0100
 Miscellaneous134.0  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Rosemead    3 Reviews

Over 9 years ago

Not a place you would live in by choice. Another grimy, ugly suburb of Los Angeles filled with the worst drivers on earth. If you want to find non-Asian groceries,  More

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Over 19 years ago

It is sunny and warm almost all year round, and nights can get below 60s during the winter. It used to be a desert, so the climate resembles of that. Warm and sunny in  More

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I have lived in Rosemead for 20 years. It has become a refuge for Asian immigrants. It is 8 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and traffic is bad in the mornings  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 5 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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