Santa Monica may not be one of the most expensive L.A. area beach towns to live in, but it still costs plenty. Buyers should expect entry-level home prices to start around $1 million with an average price/square foot to be well over $1000/sqft. The cost of living in Santa Monica is 106% higher than the national average. The cost of housing in Santa Monica is 333% higher than the national average.

According to the Census Bureau, the per capita income in Santa Monica in 2019 was $75,481, which is wealthy relative to California at $36,955. For a family of 4 that would annualize to $301,924. However, while Santa Monica is home to people living in million-dollar mansions, there are also plenty of homeless and people in subpar living conditions. The poverty level is at 9.9%.

In Santa Monica, the crime rate is 51 per 1,000 residents which includes a 1 in 19 rate of violent or property crime. The per capita cost of crime rate in Santa Monica is at $1,346, the per capita cost of violent crime rate is at $725, and the per capita cost of property crime rate is at $4,327. The total cost of crime in Santa Monica stands at $123,284. However, Santa Monica has it's own police department that is separate from LA and thus has a higher police presence around the city.

Santa Monica is one of the most coveted places to live in the United States. With incredible weather year round and close proximity to the beach makes for a very high quality of life. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, and parks so you always have plenty to do. You have a mixture of young professionals and families that live in Santa Monica. The residents tend to be more liberal.

Being close to the beach, Santa Monica is considerably more expensive than the rest of Los Angeles County. The median household income in Santa Monica is $96,570 compared to that of Los Angeles County's at $68,044.