Moving to
Isla Vista.

13,920people live here $25,972median household income▼ 68% below US $1,878median rent per month▲ 33% above US

Isla Vista is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Isla Vista

Isla Vista is an unincorporated community in California with commutes that run shorter than most cities and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Isla Vista deals with rent well above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

Short commutes
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Below-average household incomes
Air quality concerns
High student-teacher ratio
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters

How Isla Vista compares

Median household income

Isla Vista$25,972

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Isla Vista$1,878

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

What it takes to move to Isla Vista

Based on Isla Vista's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,756

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,120 a year
85% of Isla Vista renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 33% above US

$1,878/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,878 a month median. That premium adds up quickly for renters whose income hasn't kept pace with local prices.

85% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Santa Barbara County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Santa Barbara County (county-wide)

Safety

216 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Isla Vista doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 690/100k · Policed by Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 40% below US

16 min average commute

Commutes run short here, averaging 15.6 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

50%

Walk

19%

Other

15%

Work from home

9.4%

Carpool

3.2%

Public transit

2.8%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 73°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 21% above US

44% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 44% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

1 public school inside the boundary

There is 1 public school inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Channel Islands National Park (30 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Isla Vista's strongest points are commutes that run shorter than most cities and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,878/mo) equals 87% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who want short commutes and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

See all the data for Isla Vista →·All California cities →