Santa Monica, CA Housing Affordability Index
Santa Monica, California has an MBR Housing Affordability Index score of 52.2 (Significantly Less Affordable) as of October 30, 2026, ranking 781st most affordable of 785 scored California cities, compared with 67.5 statewide and 97.4 nationally. On a median-priced $1,755,500 home with 20% down, a jumbo loan at 7.50% means a monthly principal and interest payment of about $9,820, or 103% of the city’s $114,885 median household income.
The MBR Housing Affordability Index (MBR-HAI) for Santa Monica is updated every night from live California mortgage rates and U.S. Census Bureau income, home value and housing cost data for the city. A score of 100 equals the national average; higher scores mean homeownership is more affordable.
Santa Monica is 15.3 points below the California score. Scores as of October 30, 2026. See the California index
View Santa Monica Mortgage RatesSee What You Can Afford in Santa Monica, California
Use this Santa Monica, California home affordability calculator to see how much house you can afford at today’s California average 30-year mortgage rate of 7.25%. A household earning the Santa Monica median income of $114,885, with no other debts and $351,000 down, can afford a home of about $675,469, compared with a median home value of $1,755,500. Buying the median priced home with 20% down takes a household income of about $462,600 once property tax and insurance are counted.
| Loan amount | $324,469 |
| Principal & interest | $2,213/mo |
| Property tax | $186/mo |
| Home insurance | $281/mo |
| PMI | $0/mo |
| Total monthly payment | $2,681/mo |
How much house can you afford in Santa Monica?
Most lenders use two limits. Your housing payment, including principal, interest, property tax, homeowners insurance and any PMI, should stay under about 28% of your gross monthly income, and all of your monthly debt payments together should stay under about 36%. The calculator takes whichever limit is lower, then works backward from that payment to the most expensive home it covers at the current rate.
In Santa Monica, property taxes run about 0.33% of a home’s value each year, based on the Census median tax bill, which counts against the same monthly budget as the mortgage. Each quarter point move in mortgage rates changes the price you can afford by roughly $7,195 for a median income household. A larger down payment, paying down other debts, or a lower rate from a local lender all raise your budget.
What It Takes to Buy in Santa Monica
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024) for Santa Monica, California. The rate is the California average 30-year fixed rate from MonitorBankRates, since lenders publish rates by state. A 20% down loan on the median home here is above the $1,249,125 conforming limit, so the index adds 0.25% for jumbo pricing.
How Santa Monica Ranks in California
Cite the Santa Monica Score
Explore Further
Scores update each morning, computed from rate data captured the previous night. Score of 100 = national average at a 6.5% reference rate.
