Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Santa Barbara, California
A $1,466,000 home here costs
$9,939per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $7,537. The real number is $2,402 higher every month — 32% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Santa Barbara against Santa Barbara County and California
| Measure | Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $1,466,400 | $735,700 |
| Median property tax | $7,043 | $4,870 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.480% | 0.662% |
| Median gross rent | $2,302 | $2,050 |
| Population | 88,024 | 443,975 |
The weather behind that power bill
Santa Barbara sits in Santa Barbara County, which averages a high of 93.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 33.4°F in its coldest, with 21.13" of precipitation a year and 65% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 657 cooling and 2,432 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Santa Barbara County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Santa Barbara County
Full Santa Barbara County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Santa Barbara?
A $1,466,000 home in Santa Barbara, California costs approximately $9,939 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $7,537 principal and interest, $586 property tax, $227 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $1,222 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara has an effective property tax rate of 0.480%, based on a median home value of $1,466,400 and median real estate taxes of $7,043. That is lower than the Santa Barbara County average of 0.662%.
What is the average home price in Santa Barbara?
The median owner-occupied home value in Santa Barbara, California is $1,466,400, against $735,700 across Santa Barbara County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Santa Barbara?
Median gross rent in Santa Barbara is $2,302 a month, against $9,939 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Santa Barbara — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for California.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.