Head to Head

Santa Barbara, CA vs Sacramento, CA

Santa Barbara leads with a Fun Score of 80, ahead by 23 points. Across 23 individual factors, Santa Barbara wins 15 and Sacramento wins 7, with 1 tied.

Factor wins — Santa Barbara
15 of 23
Tied
1
Factor wins — Sacramento
7 of 23
Factor Santa Barbara, CA Sacramento, CA
What lifts the score
Eats 88 Best
40
Drinks 80 Best
38
Coffee 89 Best
68
Live Music 84 Best
66
Star Power 41
73 Best
Outdoors 63 Best
35
Culture 80 Best
47
Events 56
89 Best
Sports 29 Best
23
Unique Hangouts 39
50 Best
City Vibe 6
51 Best
Climate 88 Best
77
Transit Quality 59 Best
53
Walkability 15
70 Best
Higher Education 62 Best
32
Bike & Micromobility 83 Best
56
What weighs it down (lower score = better)
Crime 27 Best
51
Traffic 8 Best
71
Air Quality 17
12 Best
Disaster Risk 73
60 Best
Weather Extremes 4 Best
25
Economic Strain 30 Best
71
Going-Out Cost 82
82

Scores are 0–100 percentile ranks. For drawback factors (crime, traffic, etc.) a lower number is better — the Best badge marks whichever city has less. Full methodology →