CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

36.98° N · 121.92° W · GEOID 0670644

Seacliff

Santa Cruz County, California · part of the Santa Cruz, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaSeacliff, CASeacliffSeacliff

The short answer

Seacliff is home to 3,299 people. Median household income is $130,385 a year and median rent is $2,462 a month, 22.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $1,143,600, about 8.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,462
80% above the median place
Median household income
$130,385
62% above the median place
Median home value
$1,143,600
258% above the median place
Unemployment
6.1%
25% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Seacliff

  • The median home is valued at $1,143,600, more than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,527 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 95% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 10.9% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 94% of places its size.
  • Median rent is $2,462 a month, higher than in 93% of places its size.
  • 22% of homes stand vacant, more than in 90% of places its size.
01

Moving to Seacliff

Santa Cruz County loses about 9.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,966
Moved out10,019
Net−2,053

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$114K
Leavers$94K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Santa Cruz County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.2% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Santa Cruz County report $113,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $93,800, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$98,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,462 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,989 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $1,143,600.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 11.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Huntington Beach, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.4%
24% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$113,571
61% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-9.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.4%24% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.2%39% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-9.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$113,57161% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$93,78933% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median home value is $1,143,600, 258% above the median place.

Seacliff22.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$98,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.7%
11% above the median place
Home price to income
8.8x
131% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$101,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Seacliff, $2,462 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Seacliff, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Aptos, CA18.4% vs 22.7%$8,600Compare
Sierra Madre, CA18.4% vs 22.7%$12,800Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Seacliff.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Seacliff? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$1,143,600
258% above the median place
Vacant homes1
22.2%
214% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,989
113% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,46280% above
Rent to income122.7%11% above
Property tax rate10.7%20% below
Home price to income18.8x131% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure109.99% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$4,254163% above
HUD area median income4County figure$137,20028% above
Property tax paid (median)1$8,396157% above
Median home value1$1,143,600258% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.3%92% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure30.1%42% below
Homeownership152.6%21% below
Renters paying 30%+150.1%1% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,989113% above
Vacant homes122.2%214% above
Median year built119740% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$74,223
85% above the median place
Median household income1
$130,385
62% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate5.5% −49%
Mean commute24 min −3%
Works from home11.7% −6%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$130,38562% above
Income per person1$74,22385% above
Unemployment1County figure6.1%25% above
Average annual pay6County figure$70,1236% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure104,43831% below
Poverty rate15.5%49% below
Mean commute124 min3% below
Works from home111.7%6% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 98.4%, 7% above the median place.

High school or higher1
98.4%
7% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
98.0%
6% above the median place
Household size1
2.1
16% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age44.7 +15%
Bachelor's or higher45.1% +41%
No health insurance5.7% −11%
Born abroad7.8% −12%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,2996646th largest
Median age144.715% above
Bachelor's or higher145.1%41% above
High school or higher198.4%7% above
Household size12.116% below
Born abroad17.8%12% below
No health insurance15.7%11% below
Homes with broadband198.0%6% above
05

Life in Seacliff

46 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents12.1 +19%
Playgrounds per 10k6.1 −36%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.1 −46%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −95%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi13.7 65.2×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.8 +14%
Shops30.5 +1%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.9 +44%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.6 +17%
Child care centers4.9 2.1×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k8
4.9
113% above the median place
Students per teacher11
21.5
40% above the median place
Public schools11
82
above the median place (median 9)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure82above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure36,310above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure21.540% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure23.814% above
Shops per 10k8County figure30.51% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.944% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure23.617% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.9113% above
Parks per 10k912.119% above
Playgrounds per 10k96.136% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.146% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.195% below
Transit stops per sq mi913.7above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure46254% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 77°F, 12% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Seacliff. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
77°F
12% below the median place
Tornado risk13
18.7
77% below the median place
Median air quality index14
35
19% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSeacliffAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure77°F12% below
January average low12County figure41°F61% above
Average temperature12County figure58°F5% above
Annual precipitation12County figure33.6 in23% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure97.86% above
Tornado risk13County figure18.777% below
Wildfire risk13County figure97.359% above
Heat wave risk13County figure86.64% below
Median air quality index14County figure3519% below
Good air days14County figure87.7%28% above
08

Seacliff in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,462/mo (2024)$3,170/mo$2,600 to $3,870/mo+4.3%
Median household income$130,385 (2024)$169,500$143,000 to $200,500+4.5%
Median home value$1,143,600 (2024)$1,639,000$1,190,000 to $2,258,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 9.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 8.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Seacliff

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Huntington Beach, CA$2,510$120,919Compare
Castro Valley, CA$2,554$142,779Compare
Union City, CA$2,713$133,715Compare
Daly City, CA$2,551$123,547Compare
Daly City, CAUnion City, CACastro Valley, CAHuntington Beach, CASeacliff, CASeacliffHuntington BeachSeacliffHuntington Beach

Common questions

Is Seacliff a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is valued at $1,143,600, more than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,527 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 95% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 10 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Seacliff expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $1,143,600.

What salary do you need to live in Seacliff?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $98,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Seacliff?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Huntington Beach, CA, Castro Valley, CA, Union City, CA and Daly City, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Seacliff with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Seacliff itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/seacliff-california

Citytistics. “Seacliff, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/seacliff-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.