Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Toro Canyon vs Montecito

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (5.4× in Montecito) and growth since 2010 (+25.3 pts in Toro Canyon).

×
Toro Canyon, CAA regional job hubCalifornia · 1,477 people
×
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 $20,400 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.

Toro Canyon$11,320/mo
Typical home $2M (Census) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $2,179/mo · Housing →
Montecito$31,720/mo
Typical home $5.6M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $20,400 a month, about $244,800 a year, between Montecito and Toro Canyon.

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.

Where they are

Toro Canyon and Montecito share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Toro CanyonMontecitoToro CanyonMontecito
Toro Canyon ↔ Montecito4.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
16 Toro Canyon residents work in Montecito (2.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Toro Canyon →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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
Toro CanyonMontecito
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F47°F
July high76°F76°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)99th96th
Outdoors & history
Toro CanyonMontecito
Trails5 mi14 mi
Conserved land2%1.2%
National Register places—3
Community
Toro CanyonMontecito
Library hours a week—36 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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.

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.

Toro CanyonMontecito
People
Population 1,477Lowest 9,031Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +21.7%Highest CA: +6.1% -3.6%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 66.9±6.3Highest 77% above CA 50±5.7Lowest 32% above CA
Kids under 18 13.6%±6Lowest CA: 22% 14.8%±2.1Highest CA: 22%
Montecito and Toro Canyon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 52.5%±5.9Highest CA: 15.7% 33.5%±3.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 64.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 76.3%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.4%±2.4Lowest CA: 7.6% 18.2%±3.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $140,743±$20kLowest 42% above CA $231,005±$10kHighest 133% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001 172% above CA $2,000,001 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,179±$861Lowest 7% above CA $3,501Highest 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 56%±21.2Highest CA: 55.3% 52.5%±11.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Toro Canyon and Montecito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6%Lowest CA: 12% 8.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 75.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest same as CA 1969Lowest 7 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 8% below CA 18 minLowest 36% below CA
Work from home 22.2%±10.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 33.9%±6.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Montecito and Toro Canyon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5%Lowest 8.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 mi 11.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.92Highest 1.25Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Barbara (22%)Santa Barbara (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in MontecitoFew work in Toro Canyon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.9 miLowest 14.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.1Lowest 22.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#1 of 574 in CA
School district —Cold Spring Elementary · Montecito Union Elementary
High school in town —None 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.

Toro Canyon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Toro Canyon’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 Toro Canyon and Montecito

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Toro Canyon

Towns like Toro Canyon

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.

Post to Toro Canyon

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in