Santa Maria-Santa Barbara → Modesto
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Santa Maria-Santa Barbara to Modesto is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 108.8 to 104.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,366/mo.
- -$6,612
- BLS median salary lower in Modesto
- 477 to 477
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 21.5:1 to 21.5:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Modesto
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 5% lower cost of living
- + $1366/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $7K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 108.8 to 104.1 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,366/mo ($16,392/yr) from $3,124 in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara to $1,758 in Modesto.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 1 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Modesto sits #375 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Santa Maria-Santa Barbara is #381/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,612 lower ($79,314 → $72,702). Labor-market size: 193,410 tracked jobs at origin vs 187,990 at destination.
Both metros sit in California: state retirement score 40 (F, #50/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 70
- Property tax
- 72
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 4
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara to see what you'd need to earn in Modesto to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026