01 · the cities
Santa Maria
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.
full dispatch→Eugene
Eugene is Track Town USA (Hayward Field is the spiritual home of American distance running), the University of Oregon, and a hippie-academic-outdoorsy culture that's been here since the '60s and isn't going anywhere. The Willamette and McKenzie rivers meet just outside town. Saturday Market downtown has been running for over 50 years. Coffee and craft beer are taken seriously. Misty in winter, glorious in summer.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,352/mo
$1,799/mo
$1,553/mo less than Santa Maria (86%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$456k
$603k less than Santa Maria
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
8.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,206/mo
$5,805/mo
Eugene has $1,599/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
337 days
206 days
131 fewer than Santa Maria
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Maria edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
59 / 100
75 / 100
16.0 pts ahead of Santa Maria
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
2 routes
9 routes
7 more direct routes than Santa Maria
Metro size
Metro size
441k metro
381k metro
the verdict
1
Santa Maria
categories won
6
Eugene
categories won
Eugene wins this comparison, leading on money and lifestyle.
run your numbers
How far does your Santa Maria salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works