$100k salary, packing up from Boulder
changea dispatch from
santa maria
CA
34.95°N
120.44°W
Santa Maria has its own style of barbecue (tri-tip cooked over red oak with pinquito beans and salsa), which is a legitimate regional tradition that locals will fight you about. The surrounding Santa Maria Valley is becoming serious wine country (especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). It's quieter and more affordable than its central coast neighbors. The Pacific is right there.
in our guides
the verdict
more each month than Boulder ran you
Santa Maria doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what Santa Maria is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
a quick ledger.
$3,352/mo
51% more expensive than Boulder(vs $2,216/mo)
9.3%
$408/mo more in state tax than Boulder
vs 4.4% in Boulder
$4,206/mo
$1,545 less than Boulder
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1059k
35% more expensive than Boulder
vs $783k in Boulder
441k
vs 327k in Boulder
field notes, weather & such.
337
pleasant days a year, in santa maria.
Boulder barely cracks 178 pleasant ones.
Boulder hosts Infinity× more events.
59/100
25% lower than Boulder
vs 79/100 in Boulder
Closest outdoor draw: Channel Islands National Park, 73 mi.
87/100
4% higher than Boulder
vs 84/100 in Boulder
2
99% fewer than Boulder
vs 169 nonstops in Boulder
same energy as santa maria, different zip code:
