| Index | Santa Margarita | California | National |
| Cost of living | 144 | 140 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 105 | 111 | 100 |
| Groceries | 107 | 112 | 100 |
| Health care | 93 | 109 | 100 |
| Housing | 211 | 196 | 100 |
| Transportation | 127 | 126 | 100 |
| Utilities | 157 | 127 | 100 |
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Owners | $81,462 | $6,789 | $1,901 | $2,444 |
| Renters | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| California | 7.25% | 10.5% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| California | 1% | 13.3% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $26.25 | $24.26 | 8.2% |
| Beauty Salon | $89.33 | $45.56 | 96.1% |
| Toothpaste | $3.75 | $3.70 | 1.3% |
| Shampoo | $1.48 | $1.28 | 15.6% |
| Movie | $18.12 | $12.13 | 49.4% |
| Bowling | $22.67 | $18.00 | 25.9% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $5.77 | $5.84 | 1.1% |
| Fried Chicken | $2.63 | $1.57 | 67.0% |
| Milk | $4.91 | $4.67 | 5.0% |
| Potatoes | $4.90 | $4.93 | 0.6% |
| Pizza | $13.49 | $12.09 | 11.6% |
| Beer | $11.13 | $10.41 | 6.9% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $142.20 | $125.68 | 13.1% |
| Doctor | $131.33 | $135.78 | 3.3% |
| Dentist | $131.50 | $113.29 | 16.1% |
| Ibuprofen | $11.78 | $10.65 | 10.6% |
| Lipitor | $508.17 | $468.60 | 8.4% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $511,000.00 | $184,700.00 | 176.7% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $5,847.37 | $2,346.69 | 149.2% |
| Apartment Rent | $536.00 | $949.00 | 43.5% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $4.62 | $3.46 | 33.6% |
| Tire Balancing | $61.00 | $59.92 | 1.8% |
| Item | Santa Margarita | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $231.40 | $193.99 | 19.3% |
| Phone | $193.81 | $192.25 | 0.8% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Creston, CA | 31 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Atascadero, CA | 30,444 | 154 | 54.4% |
| Los Osos, CA | 16,174 | 163 | 62.9% |
| Templeton, CA | 7,965 | 165 | 65.2% |
| Morro Bay, CA | 10,592 | 170 | 69.5% |
| Santa Margarita, CA | 1,025 | 144 | 43.7% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Salamatof, AK | 1,025 | 119 | 18.9% |
| West Park, CA | 1,025 | 104 | 4.2% |
| Winthrop, IA | 1,025 | 89 | 10.6% |
| Montgomery, IN | 1,025 | 97 | 2.9% |
| Brush Fork, WV | 1,025 | 83 | 17.1% |
| Santa Margarita, CA | 1,025 | 144 | 43.7% |
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