What it's like to live in Santa Fe
Santa Fe is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Santa Fe deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, hot summers, and very rainy.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 60" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Santa Fe compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Santa Fe
Based on Santa Fe's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,480
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,600 a year
- 36% of Santa Fe renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$65,160
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,580
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 12% below US
$1,240/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,240 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $325,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $325,800 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Galveston County is 4.4%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Galveston County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 61% below US
129 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 590/100k · Santa Fe Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 48°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 58% below US
15% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Thicket National Preserve (85 miles away).
Bottom line
Santa Fe's strongest points are rent below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,240/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Santa Fe
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