2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Morgantown, WV

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Morgantown or is it cheaper to live in Santa Cruz?
- Morgantown is 51.7% less expensive than Santa Cruz.

Which city has more affordable housing, Morgantown or Santa Cruz?
- Morgantown housing costs are 81.6% less expensive than Santa Cruz housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Santa Cruz or is Health Care more affordable in Morgantown.
- Health related expenses are 15.7% more in Morgantown.
 Santa Cruz, CAMorgantown, WVUnited States
 Overall  Unlock89.8100
 Food & Groceries111.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock126.3100
 Housing420.7  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$257,900$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock76.8100
 Miscellaneous155.7  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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Reviews for Morgantown    16 Reviews

Morgantown is a vibrant classic American college town with a laid-back vibe. While the city and surrounding area are relatively small at about $150,000 people, residents  More

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Morgantown is a college town with many wonderful qualities, but for a retiree or someone on a fixed income, it is getting very expensive and crowded. The housing market  More

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Over 13 years ago

its a good small university town, however the cost of living varies especially rents on whether you live near to the campus or far away from wvu. there are only couple  More

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