2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Santa Monica, CA vs Waukesha, WI

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Waukesha or is it cheaper to live in Santa Monica?
- Waukesha is 33.6% less expensive than Santa Monica.

Which city has more affordable housing, Waukesha or Santa Monica?
- Waukesha housing costs are 84.4% less expensive than Santa Monica housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Santa Monica or is Health Care more affordable in Waukesha.
- Health related expenses are 11.5% more in Waukesha.
 Santa Monica, CAWaukesha, WIUnited States
 Overall  Unlock107.3100
 Food & Groceries111.4  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock100.6100
 Housing622.0  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$286,300$338,100
 Utilities81  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock94.3100
 Miscellaneous133.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Santa Monica    24 Reviews

I moved here to Santa Monica over 10 years ago from Oklahoma City. I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City was ranked higher than Santa Monica on best places. I  More

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I've lived in Santa Monica for over 30 years. It's a Mediterranean climate--sunny and temperate when the rest of the country is under snow! I am walking distance to  More

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I have lived in this city for 4 decades, and it is never been worse than it is now. It is a dangerous disgusting hell hole. Between the crime, the homeless that are not  More

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Reviews for Waukesha    7 Reviews

I lived in waukesha for 37 years. It's home, it's where I grew up but it's a bit of a dump. They're trying hard to make it nice but its just not that great of a place to  More

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Over 12 years ago

I lived in Waukesha in 2006 while on a contract position for a precast design company. I found Waukesha to be a very enjoyable place to live. It is a very place to live  More

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Over 16 years ago

Waukesha is a small city, 65K population, with the amenities of a larger town. Its access to library, daily shopping, mainline restaurant fare and outside activity is  More

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