Moving to
University of California-Santa Barbara.

All University of California-Santa Barbara data Compare University of California-Santa Barbara

12,121people live here $69,327median household income▼ 14% below US $1,526median rent per monthNear US average $452,900median home value▲ 36% above US

University of California-Santa Barbara 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 University of California-Santa Barbara

University of California-Santa Barbara 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. University of California-Santa Barbara deals with home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.

The good

Short commutes
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

High home prices
Air quality concerns
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How University of California-Santa Barbara compares

Median household income

University of California-Santa Barbara$69,327

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

University of California-Santa Barbara$1,526

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

Median home value

University of California-Santa Barbara$452,900

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to University of California-Santa Barbara

Based on University of California-Santa Barbara's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,052

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,040 a year
45% of University of California-Santa Barbara renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$90,580

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $45,290
Homes cost 6.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,526/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,526 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $452,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $452,900 · 45% 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

University of California-Santa Barbara 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▼ 45% below US

14 min average commute

Commutes run short here, averaging 14.3 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 3 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% take public transit; 17% work from home.

How workers get to work

Other

25%

Walk

25%

Drive alone

23%

Work from home

17%

Public transit

6.6%

Carpool

4.6%

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▲ 124% above US

81% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

0 public schools inside the boundary

No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district.

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

University of California-Santa Barbara's strongest points are commutes that run shorter than most cities and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,526/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home), people who want short commutes, and college-educated professionals.

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