Cost of Living and Housing in Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica has about 91,169 residents. Median gross rent is $2,402 per month and median household income is $114,885.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $2,402/mo 45% above the dataset median

Median Home Value $1,755,500 369% above the dataset median

Median Household Income $114,885 37% above the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 28% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 25% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 15.3x Median value ÷ household income

How Santa Monica compares

Rent is 45% above the dataset median, while household income is 37% above the dataset median. Within California, Santa Monica ranks #249 from lowest to highest rent and #113 from highest to lowest household income among 347 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in California

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in Santa Monica?

Median gross rent is $2,402 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in Santa Monica?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,755,500 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in Santa Monica is $114,885 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.