Compare living in Ventura/Santa Barbara/Monterey/Santa Cruz (Los Angeles: real estate, rent)

[iamc1111]

Hello,

My boyfriend and I are moving from St.Peters MO and are considering Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey. Maybe Santa Cruz. Also open to other parts of the Central Coast. I would like to narrow it down to 1 or 2 of these counties and spend a few weeks in them in early 2020.

Budget: less than $2500 for a 1-2 bedroom home or cottage. (We work from home.)

Most interested in: natural beauty (more green than brown?), ocean/mountain lifestyle, mild weather, outdoor activities, farmer's markets, and nearby adventures. I'm aware that all of these places have this for the most part, but here's the thing, we would like to be within an hour and a half of either Los Angeles or San Fran. (vegan food, weekend trips.)

Bottom line: Looking for a beautiful place on the central coast, with lots of activities and outdoor adventure, not too boring, within an hour and a half drive to a major city.

Here are my concerns:

Basically I'm torn between the SB/Ventura area and commuting to LA, or going up north to Monterey or Santa Cruz and commuting to San Fran.

Is Santa Barbara worth the $$$, or is Ventura a better bet being between SB & LA? Will we be bored in Ventura or Monterey?

In general, I would love to know more about these places and what it's actually like to live there, or if there is someplace else I should consider.

[BRinSM]

How much is weather a factor? From a pure beauty perspective, Monterey is an easy winner with SB and SC tied for second IMO. Having said that, fog and marine layer are a real concern at the NorCal beach towns. SoCal beaches aren’t immune to this, but they are generally much sunnier and warmer.

As for boredom, all of these places could leave you feeling this way. Each is also far enough away from a big city where there is little big city influence at all. In fact, I know many people who live in these cities because they don’t want to live in/near LA, Sf, or SJ. Or they are used as weekend getaways to escape the city. having said that, if big city proximity is important, Santa Cruz is not all that far from Silicon Valley, though it’s a tough commute over a mountain.

[iamc1111]

Thank you for the response. Weather isn't the most important thing. I do prefer sunshine over gloomy weather, but I also prefer cooler 60s/mid-70s. Coming from Missouri (hot humid summers, freezing cold winters) I'm not too picky.

I'm not sure if I would like being super distant from a major city which is why I'm interested in Ventura, but I definitely value beauty/nature over being super close to LA/SF. Plus, we can always move in a year.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by iamc1111

Thank you for the response. Weather isn't the most important thing. I do prefer sunshine over gloomy weather, but I also prefer cooler 60s/mid-70s. Coming from Missouri (hot humid summers, freezing cold winters) I'm not too picky.

I'm not sure if I would like being super distant from a major city which is why I'm interested in Ventura, but I definitely value beauty/nature over being super close to LA/SF. Plus, we can always move in a year.

Ventura is closer, but a lousy drive most of the time.

[kdb05f]

IMHO, Santa Barbara is the best out of this list of counties, and it has everything you said you wanted, except for maybe the more green than brown. But if being closer to a big city is important to you, then either Ventura or Santa Cruz. They all have a mild climate but Ventura is the warmest.

[BeauCharles]

All of them are nice, but the Monterey Peninsula is a world class beauty. Lived there for a decade and even though I've been away since 2008 I'll never get over that place. Its just jaw dropping amazing in so many ways.

[Aqvarivus]

Originally Posted by iamc1111

Most interested in: natural beauty (more green than brown?)

I've lived everywhere from Laguna to LA to SLO to SF. (And my parents currently live in SB). So I can say, really and truly, the only area that's more green than brown is Monterey.

I've sinced moved out of CA to southern France. When my wife and I return to visit (SLO, SB and LA), we are always surprised how BROWN the hills are. We call it, Santa Colinas Marrones.

The trade off is of course is the area's dry, sunny, mild winters - which is difficult to find. (Believe me, I've looked everywhere.)

By comparison, Monterey-Carmel area is much greener: the trade-off there being it's often cold/humid/overcast. That said, we think if we were to move back it'd probably be Ventura, which is still a funky beach town whose charm has not yet ruined by money (like Laguna has been).

SLO is nice, if a bit agricultural and isolated (but maybe you're from a rural area and would appreciate that).

Santa Barbara is very nice too, but also a bit sad. Independent local shops that use to be downtown have left because that can't afford the astronomical rent (foreign companies own much of the commercial real estate) so there's a lot empty storefronts downtown. The wealth gap has gotten noticeably worse in the last 10 years. Pushcarts and Teslas abound.

(I'm exaggerating a bit, but it is palpable, esp recently.)

The only area I don't really know is SC, which is supposed to be nice, if expensive.

Hope this helps.

[Kevroqs]

Originally Posted by iamc1111

Hello,

My boyfriend and I are moving from St.Peters MO and are considering Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey. Maybe Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz is starting to have homeless encampments on the beach, especially next to the boardwalk.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZSR3ADKnwI

might as well go to Ventura