City comparison
Santa Maria, CA vs Urban Honolulu, HI
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Urban Honolulu, HI are 2.0% higher than in Santa Maria, CA. Someone earning $100,000 in Santa Maria, CA would need about $102,000 in Urban Honolulu, HI to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,746 a month in Santa Maria, CA versus $2,016 in Urban Honolulu, HI. On $100,000, that's 44% of take-home pay in Santa Maria, CA and 33% in Urban Honolulu, HI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $999 a year higher in Urban Honolulu, HI than in Santa Maria, CA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −10.4% moving from Santa Maria, CA to Urban Honolulu, HI ($124,085 → $111,119), while prices change by +2.0%. Net effect of the transfer: −12.2% in real buying power.
- Santa Maria, CA: price level 108.8 (much pricier)
- Urban Honolulu, HI: price level 111.0 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Santa Maria, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 108.8 | 111.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,988 in Urban Honolulu | $98,051 in Santa Maria |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $2,746/mo | $2,016/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $73,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $6,070 (HI) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 44% | 33% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,690 | $57,220 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | State of Hawaii |
Rent areas: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA and Urban Honolulu, HI MSA. Metro areas: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA and Urban Honolulu, HI.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Santa Maria | Urban Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 151.4 | 135.5 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 111.6 |
| Utilities | 149.8 | 187.3 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 102.9 |
| Overall | 108.8 | 111.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Santa Maria, CA → Urban Honolulu, HI
Roughly even
Buying power −1.9%; rent takes 33% of take-home; state tax +$999/yr.
51 Fair offer
Urban Honolulu, HI → Santa Maria, CA
Roughly even
Buying power +2.0%; rent takes 44% of take-home; state tax −$999/yr.
46 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Santa Maria, CA is in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA pay area; Urban Honolulu, HI is in State of Hawaii. The last column shows what a transfer from Santa Maria, CA to Urban Honolulu, HI at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Santa Maria, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI | Real change, Santa Maria → Urban Honolulu |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,957 | $64,438 | −12.2% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $87,061 | $77,964 | −12.2% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $104,349 | $93,445 | −12.2% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $124,085 | $111,119 | −12.2% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $146,632 | $131,310 | −12.2% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Santa Maria, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI | Urban Honolulu pay in Santa Maria dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $101,030 | $73,080 | $71,655 (−29.1%) |
| Software Developers | $158,290 | $120,230 | $117,886 (−25.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $91,610 | $74,990 | $73,528 (−19.7%) |
| Registered Nurses | $137,360 | $139,260 | $136,545 (−0.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.