Santa Barbara, CA housing market
Typical home value
$1.81M
▲ 4.9% 1 yr
Typical rent
$3,642/mo
▲ 3.8% 1 yr
Gross rent yield
2.4%
U.S. 6.3%
5-year home value change
+29%
U.S. +20%
Key takeaways
- 1The typical home in Santa Barbara is worth $1,805,649, up 4.9% over the past year and up 29% over five years.
- 2Typical rent is $3,642 a month (+3.8% YoY), a gross rent yield of 2.4% (below the Santa Maria, CA metro's 4.0%).
- 3With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest on the typical home is about $9,923/mo, $6,281 more than typical rent.
- 4Zillow forecasts the Santa Maria, CA metro's home values to change +1.9% over the next 12 months.
Market temperature (Santa Maria, CA metro)
Buyer's market
Buyer'sNeutralSeller's
Zillow Market Heat Index: 43/100, #228 hottest of 546 metros. Below 44 favors buyers; above 55 favors sellers.
Home values and rent
Source: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI and market activity data).
How Santa Barbara compares
| Measure | Santa Barbara | Santa Maria, CA metro | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $1,805,649 | $988,948 | $366,157 |
| Home value, 1-yr change | +4.9% | +4.3% | +1.2% |
| Typical rent | $3,642 | $3,279 | $1,932 |
| Rent, 1-yr change | +3.8% | +2.9% | +2.7% |
| Gross rent yield | 2.4% | 4.0% | 6.3% |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 41.3 | 25.1 | 15.8 |
| Mortgage P&I, typical home | $9,923 | $5,435 | $2,012 |
Run the numbers
Rental property calculator
Cash flow on a typical Santa Barbara rental, pre-filled.
Rent vs buy in Santa Barbara
Which costs less over the years you'll stay.
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment on a $1.81M home.
Landlord in California? See California deposit, late fee and notice rules.
Other cities in the Santa Maria, CA metro
Santa Maria, CA
$665K home$2,509 rent
▲ 4.0% 1 yr
Lompoc, CA
$592K home$2,126 rent
▲ 3.5% 1 yr
Goleta, CA
$1.35M home$3,838 rent
▲ 1.8% 1 yr
City figures are Zillow's typical home value (ZHVI) and observed rent (ZORI). Gross yield is before expenses. Data refreshed Oct 26, 2026.