2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Santa Barbara, CA vs South Lake Tahoe, CA

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Highlights
Are people in South Lake Tahoe older or younger than people in Santa Barbara?
- The Median Age in South Lake Tahoe is 0.1 years younger than in Santa Barbara.

Are housing costs cheaper in South Lake Tahoe or Santa Barbara?
- South Lake Tahoe housing costs are 56.9% less expensive than Santa Barbara housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, South Lake Tahoe or Santa Barbara?
- The average commute for residents of South Lake Tahoe is 0.7 minutes shorter than it is for residents of Santa Barbara.

Things to do in Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara, California has something for everyone - from fantastic beaches to world-class shopping and dining experiences. Visitors can explore Old Mission Santa Barbara or take part in various water activities around Stearns Wharf.

Things to do in South Lake Tahoe?
South Lake Tahoe, CA lies on the California/Nevada state line at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The area offers beautiful views of Lake Tahoe as well as skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports in nearby ski resorts such as Squaw Valley USA or Alpine Meadows Ski Resort.

 Santa Barbara, CASouth Lake Tahoe, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock21,355329,725,481
 Median Income$89,243  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock3938.4
 Avg. Home Price$1,525,500  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.3%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time17.15  Unlock26.38
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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Reviews for South Lake Tahoe    10 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Pretty boring town. Very run down and seedy too. Lake is nothing special either. I much prefer the Pacific coast or even the Atlantic coast or great  More

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Seriously I don't get what the big deal about this dump is everything is grossly overpriced scenery is boring and not at all interesting very boring nothing to do very  More

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Over 5 years ago

Beautiful place to live. This site has most of the details wrong, has somehow lumped it together with Sacramento. Elevation is 6250 feet at the lake. Weather is cold in  More

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