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Compare towns

Corte Madera vs Montecito

291 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.8× in Corte Madera) and conserved land (+36.1 pts in Corte Madera).

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Corte Madera, CAHomes around $1.85MCalifornia · 10,077 people
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Montecito, CAHomes around $5.6MCalifornia · 9,031 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $21,170 more a month in Montecito

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Corte Madera$10,560/mo
Typical home $1.85M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Montecito$31,720/mo
Typical home $5.6M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $21,170 a month, about $254,000 a year, between Montecito and Corte Madera.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Corte Madera places higher on 12 of 19 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Corte MaderaMontecito
Snow a year0″0″
January low—47°F
July high—76°F
Growing season (days)—365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st96th
Outdoors & history
Corte MaderaMontecito
Conserved land37.3%1.2%
Settled1916—
National Register places—3
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here1—
Community
Corte MaderaMontecito
Library hours a week55 hrs36 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

291 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Corte Madera ↔ Montecito291 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Corte MaderaMontecito
People
Population 10,077Highest 9,031Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.5%Highest CA: +6.1% -3.6%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 45.9±3.1Lowest 21% above CA 50±5.7Highest 32% above CA
Montecito and Corte Madera are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.6%±4.6Highest CA: 22% 14.8%±2.1Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 18.8%±3.2Lowest CA: 15.7% 33.5%±3.4Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 79.3%Highest CA: 37.1% 76.3%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5%±2Lowest CA: 7.6% 18.2%±3.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $232,763±$37kHighest 135% above CA $231,005±$10kLowest 133% above CA
Corte Madera and Montecito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,755,200±$183kLowest 139% above CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501 72% above CA $3,501 72% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 95% above CA $10,000+ at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.4%±12.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 52.5%±11.8Highest CA: 55.3%
Montecito and Corte Madera are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.6%Lowest CA: 12% 8.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 75.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1962Lowest 14 yrs older than CA 1969Highest 7 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 8% above CA 18 minLowest 36% below CA
Work from home 44.1%±7.1Highest CA: 17.2% 33.9%±6.2Lowest CA: 17.2%
Corte Madera and Montecito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.6%Lowest 8.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 mi 11.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.49Highest 1.25Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (32%)Santa Barbara (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MontecitoFew work in Corte Madera
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 37.3%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 10.6 miLowest 14.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.4 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.3Highest 22.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #9 of 574 in CA#1 of 574 in CA
School district Larkspur-Corte MaderaCold Spring Elementary · Montecito Union Elementary
High school in town None in townNone in town
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Corte Madera neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Corte Madera’s Town Square.

Montecito neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Getting to know Montecito

1 neighbor in Montecito can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Corte Madera and Montecito

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Bordering Corte Madera

Towns like Corte Madera

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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