Living in Montecito, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.8% above the U.S. average in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Montecito to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town4 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Santa Barbara Senior High, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close bySanta Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, about 5 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityLos Angeles is about 75 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Montecito meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Montecito runs into the built-up area around Santa Barbara (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

College town. About 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with Westmont College in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $2,000,000 or moreU.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 17%Santa Barbara County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $231,005U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 76%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 17%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 7%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 9%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 108.8U.S. average = 100 (the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 17% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area, not Montecito alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 9,031The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 50 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 33%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 15%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 76%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 14%U.S.: 6%
College students: 18%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (28%); professional and business services (17%); finance, insurance and real estate (16%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 34%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, CA, about 5 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Montecito, run by Montecito Union Elementary and Carpinteria Unified. The nearest public high school is Santa Barbara Senior High, about 4 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Westmont College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 86%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 46°F
July average high: 76°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 5 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 0 a year
Rain and melted snow: 19 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 24 feet

Weather station: Santa Barbara (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Santa Barbara Cottage HospitalEmergency room5

Santa Barbara, CACity of 86,0005

Los Angeles, CAMetro of 12.8 million75

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles.

Santa Barbara County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including Steedman Estate. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Channel Islands National Park24 miles
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area37 miles

Campus life. Check Westmont College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Montecito's history on Wikipedia.

Know Montecito?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Carpinteria, CA12,700 people, 8 miles
Oak View, CA6,100 people, 19 miles
Mira Monte, CA6,900 people, 20 miles
Meiners Oaks, CA3,900 people, 21 miles
Ojai, CA7,500 people, 22 miles
Channel Islands Beach, CA2,700 people, 29 miles

Smaller places

Summerland, CA (unincorporated)1,348 people, 3 miles
Toro Canyon, CA (unincorporated)1,477 people, 4 miles
Mission Canyon, CA (unincorporated)2,357 people, 5 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.