2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
State College, PA vs Santa Monica, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Santa Monica or is it cheaper to live in State College?
- Santa Monica is 69.5% more expensive than State College.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Monica or State College?
- Santa Monica housing costs are 453.4% more expensive than State College housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in State College or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Monica.
- Health related expenses are 28.4% less in Santa Monica.
 State College, PASanta Monica, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock161.7100
 Food & Groceries107.8  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock90.2100
 Housing112.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,656,900$338,100
 Utilities90  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock154.8100
 Miscellaneous126.3  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for State College    27 Reviews

I relocated to State College about 30 years ago. We hadn’t planned to stay this long, but life here is “easy”. Outdoor activities are ample. There are many beautiful  More

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State College is a small "safe" town, you will always see friends, coworkers, physicians, mechanics, supervisors...at the doctor's office, in the store, near your home,  More

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Over 15 years ago

I lived in State College, PA all my life untill 2006 when we finally moved south where it was warmer. State College itself is a fun place to be when it comes to football  More

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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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