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Compare towns

Montecito vs Corte Madera

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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Montecito, CAHomes around $5.6MCalifornia · 9,031 people
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Corte Madera, CAHomes around $1.85MCalifornia · 10,077 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.

Montecito$31,720/mo
Typical home $5.6M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Corte Madera$10,560/mo
Typical home $1.85M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57%+ · 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
MontecitoCorte Madera
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F—
July high76°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)96th91st
Outdoors & history
MontecitoCorte Madera
Conserved land1.2%37.3%
Settled—1916
National Register places3—
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—1
Community
MontecitoCorte Madera
Library hours a week36 hrs55 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

Montecito ↔ Corte Madera291 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.

MontecitoCorte Madera
People
Population 9,031Lowest 10,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.6%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.5%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 50±5.7Highest 32% above CA 45.9±3.1Lowest 21% 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 14.8%±2.1Lowest CA: 22% 25.6%±4.6Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 33.5%±3.4Highest CA: 15.7% 18.8%±3.2Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 76.3%Lowest CA: 37.1% 79.3%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 18.2%±3.6Highest CA: 7.6% 5%±2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $231,005±$10kLowest 133% above CA $232,763±$37kHighest 135% 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 $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA $1,755,200±$183kLowest 139% 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 52.5%±11.8Highest CA: 55.3% 44.4%±12.1Lowest 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 8.3%Highest CA: 12% 4.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 68.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1969Highest 7 yrs older than CA 1962Lowest 14 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 36% below CA 31 minHighest 8% above CA
Work from home 33.9%±6.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 44.1%±7.1Highest 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 8.8%Highest 6.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 mi 11.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.25Lowest 1.49Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Barbara (31%)San Francisco (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Corte MaderaFew work in Montecito
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.2%Lowest 37.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 14.2 miHighest 10.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 2.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 8Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 22.3Lowest 63.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #1 of 574 in CA#9 of 574 in CA
School district Cold Spring Elementary · Montecito Union ElementaryLarkspur-Corte Madera
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.

Montecito neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Getting to know Montecito

1 neighbor in Montecito can answer.

Corte Madera neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Corte Madera’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Montecito

Towns like Montecito

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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