2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Santa Barbara, CA vs Virginia Beach, VA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Virginia Beach or is it cheaper to live in Santa Barbara?
- Virginia Beach is 32.3% less expensive than Santa Barbara.

Which city has more affordable housing, Virginia Beach or Santa Barbara?
- Virginia Beach housing costs are 76.9% less expensive than Santa Barbara housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Santa Barbara or is Health Care more affordable in Virginia Beach.
- Health related expenses are 7.1% less in Virginia Beach.
 Santa Barbara, CAVirginia Beach, VAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock104.8100
 Food & Groceries113.8  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock105.2100
 Housing476.7  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$370,800$338,100
 Utilities90  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock98.0100
 Miscellaneous142.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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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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Reviews for Virginia Beach    95 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

If you lived here prior to 2005, your experience in Virginia Beach is likely between good and wonderful. There are still pros to living here. Other reviews have  More

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Over 7 years ago

I lived in the Hampton Roads area for 11 years while I was in the Navy. It was a bit of a culture shock, since I grew up in a small rural town in Maine with 900 people.  More

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Over 8 years ago

I lived in the Kempsville area of VB growing up and loved it. There's no way to be bored when you have so many public and neighborhood parks, libraries, events,  More

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