11 Best Places to Retire in California

9. Santa Barbara

Score: 12

Median home price: $490,900

Cost of living index: 167.7

Crime index: 46

Doctors per 100k: 242

Average commute time: 19.43

This is the first county on our list to have a coastline, and it’s wonderful. Home to over 420,000 people, Santa Barbara County is a great place to call home. On top of the beautiful coastal plains peppering the western and southern borders of the county, Santa Barabara is also home to a beautiful mountainous range – the Santa Ynez Mountains, the San Rafael Mountains and the Sierra Madre mountains. Most of the population, however, is concentrated in the southern coastal plains, as you would expect.

The median home price in the area is awfully close to $500,000, so you should consider that when looking for a new place to live. Of course, that’s not to say you won’t find cheaper options since it’s just an average driven up by the beautiful mansions found across the county. The average commute time is calculated at 19 minutes, which is obviously great.

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