Santa Barbara neighborhoods compared
Zillow tracks 27 neighborhoods inside the city. The 15 below cover the main residential areas from the foothills to the beach, ranked by Zillow's typical home value for September 2026. The citywide figure was $1,805,649.
| Neighborhood | Typical value (Sept 2026) | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Campanil | $4,642,252 | 11.6% |
| Riviera | $3,509,256 | 8.5% |
| Eucalyptus Hill | $3,475,677 | 12.1% |
| East Mesa | $2,502,750 | 3.8% |
| San Roque | $2,236,533 | 5.0% |
| West Mesa | $2,105,231 | 3.3% |
| Alta Mesa | $2,085,714 | 10.5% |
| Lower Riviera | $2,031,972 | 7.2% |
| Samarkand | $1,883,539 | 0.5% |
| Hidden Valley | $1,715,355 | 4.3% |
| Downtown | $1,620,312 | 8.2% |
| Westside | $1,368,622 | 2.7% |
| Oak Park | $1,306,192 | 5.5% |
| East Beach | $1,272,675 | 3.8% |
| Eastside | $1,235,818 | 3.4% |
Hope Ranch and Montecito are not in the table because they are outside the city limits. See our Montecito neighborhoods guide and our gated communities page, which covers Hope Ranch.
Santa Barbara neighborhood profiles
Campanil, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $4,642,252, up 11.6%, the highest in the city. Campanil sits south of Hope Ranch, close to the beach, and is also called the Yankee Farm area. Lots are large and private, and homes below Cliff Drive have the widest ocean views. The most expensive new home listed in the city in October 2026, a modern estate 500 feet above the coast on Campanil Drive, was priced at $29,995,000. Hillside lots here mean you should check the fire hazard area and insurance before you offer.
Riviera, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $3,509,256, up 8.5%. The Upper Riviera holds large homes at the top of the hillside with panoramic ocean and coastline views, near the El Encanto hotel, and some of the city's older historic houses. Before you buy on the hillside, check street parking, the driveway grade, the fire hazard area and how long an insurance quote takes to come back. Franceschi Park, once the home of botanist Francesco Franceschi, keeps a rare plant collection with views over the city.
Eucalyptus Hill, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $3,475,677, up 12.1%, the largest one-year gain on this list. The area sits high on a hillside overlooking the ocean and borders the estate areas of Montecito. Lots are larger than in most of the city, with a mix of 1920s houses and single-level mid-century homes. It gives you Montecito-sized lots with a City of Santa Barbara address, city services and the city's tax rate area.
East Mesa, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $2,502,750, up 3.8%. The eastern Mesa runs toward Shoreline Park and Leadbetter Beach, which faces Santa Barbara City College across the road. Shoreline Park has a whale-watching area, lawns, a playground and a stairway to the beach. La Mesa Park adds a neighborhood playground and a short walk to an ocean view.
San Roque, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $2,236,533, up 5.0%. San Roque is known for historic homes from the 1920s and 1930s, from small bungalows to Spanish, Tudor and Mediterranean houses. It sits below the foothills and Mission Canyon, a couple of miles from downtown, near Peabody Charter School and the Santa Barbara Golf Club. Stevens Park climbs San Roque Canyon to the Jesusita Trail. Use the district's lookup to confirm school assignment for any address.
West Mesa, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $2,105,231, up 3.3%. The western Mesa reaches the bluff-top beach access at Mesa Lane and the Thousand Steps at the end of Santa Cruz Boulevard. Escondido Park, on the Mesa, has city views, walking paths and oak woodland. Price growth here has been slower than in Campanil next door. Bluff-top lots need a geotechnical report.
Alta Mesa, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $2,085,714, up 10.5%. Alta Mesa lies on the ocean side of Highway 101 next to Elings Park, with miles of open space. Some of the city's best view lots are here, looking over the ocean, the Channel Islands and the coastline. It posted one of the fastest gains on the list.
Lower Riviera, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $2,031,972, up 7.2%. The Lower Riviera connects with the Upper Riviera and mixes historic houses with newer construction, many with ocean views. It sits above the Eastside and Santa Barbara High School, and its typical value is about 42% below the Riviera's, which makes it the lower-cost way into the hillside views.
Samarkand, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,883,539, up 0.5%, the flattest result on this list. Samarkand is a small area north of Highway 101 with older historic homes, newer houses and many two- and three-bedroom cottages, many of them renovated.
Hidden Valley, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,715,355, up 4.3%. Hidden Valley is a large neighborhood on the ocean side of Highway 101 between Bel Air, Campanil and Hope Ranch. Houses are often single-story from the early 1960s, and some lots exceed a third of an acre. Hidden Valley Park has a lawn, barbecues, a playground and a creekside path.
Downtown, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,620,312, up 8.2%. Downtown has everything from small condos to historic houses, with condo projects such as Alma del Pueblo, Sevilla and Anacapa Villas built in Spanish style. State Street is a pedestrian promenade, and Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden and Alameda Park are a short walk away. Parking is tight: check the garage that comes with a unit, and whether the street is in one of the downtown permit parking areas.
Westside, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,368,622, up 2.7%. The Westside sits next to downtown and is anchored by the city's mid-century Westside Neighborhood Center, which hosts meetings and neighborhood events. Its typical value is about $250,000 below Downtown's, which makes it one of the lower-priced ways to live within reach of the promenade.
Oak Park, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,306,192, up 5.5%. This midtown area is named for Oak Park, a shaded city park with a playground, sports fields, a water play area and an outdoor dance floor used by local groups. It is one of the lower-priced areas north of downtown.
East Beach, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,272,675, up 3.8%. East Beach has the city's long sandy beach with volleyball courts and the Cabrillo Pavilion, which has a fitness center and event space. Housing is mostly condos and townhouses on the ocean side of Highway 101, including the guard-gated El Escorial and the Spanish-style Villa del Mar. The city posts lifeguards at East Beach daily in summer.
Eastside, Santa Barbara
Zillow's typical value: $1,235,818, up 3.4%. The Eastside runs from Highway 101 near East Beach north to just below Santa Barbara High School and the Lower Riviera. Homes in the upper part can have ocean views. The Franklin Neighborhood Center and Eastside Neighborhood Park are community hubs. It is among the lowest-priced areas on this list.
Santa Barbara neighborhoods by what you are looking for
Walkable to shops and restaurants: Downtown and the Westside
Downtown puts the State Street promenade, parks and the waterfront within walking distance, and the Westside sits next door at a lower typical value ($1,368,622 against $1,620,312). Expect older buildings and limited parking.
Near the sand: East Beach and the Mesa
East Beach is the lowest-priced way to live across from the beach, mostly in condos. The East and West Mesa have Shoreline Park and the Mesa Lane beach access, at about 1.7 to 2 times East Beach's typical value.
Views and larger lots: the Riviera, Eucalyptus Hill and Alta Mesa
These hillside areas have the ocean and mountain views, larger lots and older estate homes. Budget for fire hazard rules, higher insurance quotes and steep driveways.
Lower entry price: the Eastside, East Beach and Oak Park
The three lowest typical values on our list run from $1,235,818 to $1,306,192, about 28% to 32% below the citywide figure. Zillow's lowest neighborhood value in the city was Lower East at $1,108,745.
Condos and townhouses: Downtown and East Beach
Most of the city's condo complexes are downtown and near the beach. Read the HOA budget, reserve study and balcony inspection reports; see our Santa Barbara condos guide.
Single-level houses: Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley's early-1960s single-story houses, some on lots over a third of an acre, are a common choice for buyers who want one-level living. Its typical value of $1,715,355 is below the Mesa and the Riviera.
Other Santa Barbara neighborhoods and nearby areas
Zillow tracks 27 neighborhoods in the city; the table above covers 15. The others, with September 2026 typical values, are Cielito ($2,936,254), Foothill ($2,742,606), Upper East ($2,288,227), Bel Air ($2,037,935), East San Roque ($1,774,319), Hope ($1,718,463), Laguna ($1,582,645), Hitchcock ($1,501,962), West Downtown ($1,249,550), North State ($1,245,731), Lower Westside ($1,133,073) and Lower East ($1,108,745).
Hitchcock, near the Santa Barbara Golf Club
Hitchcock sits above Highway 101, a short drive from downtown and the beach, with smaller single-family homes and some lots around the Santa Barbara Golf Club, a public 18-hole course. Franciscan Villas, built in 1988 on Greggory Way, has two- and three-bedroom townhouses of about 1,040 to 2,000 square feet around a central pool.
Hope Ranch, west of the city
Hope Ranch is an unincorporated private community of 773 lots on 1,863 acres, with private roads, bridle trails, a residents-only beach and its own association patrol. It is governed by the Hope Ranch Park Homes Association, and the County Sheriff handles law enforcement.
Mission Canyon, above the Mission
Mission Canyon is unincorporated and climbs from near the Santa Barbara Mission into the hills, with some equestrian properties lower down and large estates on bigger lots higher up. Redfin recorded only four sales in the three months to September 2026, at a median of $4,147,525, so treat that figure as a small sample.
Goleta and the Eastern Goleta Valley
West of the city, Goleta had a Redfin median sale price of $1,474,298 for the three months to September 2026, with homes selling in a median of 28 days. The unincorporated Eastern Goleta Valley had a median of $1,536,268. Both medians are below the city's Redfin median of $1,880,105 for the same period.
Montecito, east of the city
Montecito is unincorporated and far pricier than the city: Redfin's median sale price was $6,197,049 for the three months to September 2026. See our Montecito guide.
How we compared Santa Barbara neighborhoods
Neighborhood values are Zillow's typical home value (ZHVI) for September 2026, which estimates the value of a middle-priced home in each area, houses and condos together. It is not a sale price, and it moves more slowly than a median of recent sales. One-year change compares September 2026 with September 2025. Neighborhood boundaries are Zillow's and may not match the names agents or residents use, so check the boundary for any address. Descriptions of home types and settings come from the city parks and waterfront pages and from community pages listed in our sources. Where an area is outside the city, such as Hope Ranch, Mission Canyon or Montecito, we use Redfin's rolling three-month median sale price instead, and we do not compare those figures with Zillow's.
What to check in any Santa Barbara neighborhood
- Fire hazard area: the city fire department manages Coastal and Coastal Interior High Fire Hazard Areas, and a new wildland fire suppression assessment district was approved on June 30, 2026. Check every hillside address, including in the Riviera, Eucalyptus Hill and Campanil, against the city map. See our wildfire zones guide.
- Age of the house: the Census survey counts 73.5% of the city's homes as built before 1980 and 19.6% before 1940, so older wiring, plumbing and foundations are common in San Roque, Samarkand, the Riviera and downtown.
- Parking: parts of downtown and the area north of Cabrillo near the harbor are residential permit parking areas, with restrictions on certain days and hours.
- Inside or outside the city: Hope Ranch, Mission Canyon and Montecito are unincorporated. That changes the tax rate area, planning rules and police service. The City of Santa Barbara's main rate for 2026-27 is 1.05079%; see our Santa Barbara County property tax guide.
- Schools: parts of the area west of the city fall in elementary districts other than Santa Barbara Unified. Confirm the assignment for each address with the district.
Common questions about Santa Barbara neighborhoods
Prices by ZIP code, with Redfin sales data, are on our Santa Barbara ZIP code guide and housing market report. For crime figures by year and how to check an address, see the Santa Barbara crime data page. For school ratings, use the Santa Barbara schools guide and confirm assignment with Santa Barbara Unified for any address.