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→Oxnard
Oxnard is California's strawberry capital, where the fields literally run up to the beach. Channel Islands Harbor is a quiet alternative to the busier Ventura and Santa Barbara, with great seafood and a chill Mexican food scene. The weather is the perfect 65-and-overcast that locals call 'June gloom' for most of summer. The Channel Islands themselves are a ferry ride away.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,352/mo
$2,995/mo
$357/mo less than Santa Maria (12%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$923k
$136k less than Santa Maria
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,206/mo
$4,563/mo
Oxnard has $357/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
342 days
5 more than Santa Maria
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Maria and Oxnard have remarkably similar weather profiles overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
59 / 100
74 / 100
15.0 pts ahead of Santa Maria
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
2 routes
0 routes
Metro size
Metro size
441k metro
830k metro
the verdict
0
Santa Maria
categories won
5
Oxnard
categories won
Oxnard wins this comparison, leading on money and weather.
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