$100k salary, packing up from Madison
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 Madison 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
100% more expensive than Madison(vs $1,673/mo)
9.3%
$252/mo more in state tax than Madison
vs 6.27% in Madison
$4,206/mo
$1,932 less than Madison
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1059k
128% more expensive than Madison
vs $465k in Madison
441k
vs 694k in Madison
field notes, weather & such.
337
pleasant days a year, in santa maria.
Madison only logs 147 pleasant days.
100% fewer events than Madison. The pace eases up.
59/100
12% lower than Madison
vs 67/100 in Madison
Closest outdoor draw: Channel Islands National Park, 73 mi.
87/100
1% lower than Madison
vs 88/100 in Madison
2
82% fewer than Madison
vs 11 nonstops in Madison
neighbors of santa maria on the map of tradeoffs:
