Montecito

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Montecito, CA

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A breathtaking enclave where the mountains meet the ocean

Beach Coastal Suburb Upscale Mountains Scenic Nature Outdoors Golf College

The small community of Montecito sits on the east side of Santa Barbara, sandwiched between Los Padres National Forest and the glittering Pacific coastline. The area is mainly residential, with swanky homes populating the upscale neighborhoods streets. A small cluster of cafes and specialty shops near the middle of town offers residents a convenient centralized location to quickly pick up day-to-day necessities, and folks can easily hop over to the larger Santa Barbara to take advantage of the more extensive array of shopping, dining, entertainment, and nightlife.

Transportation

47

Car-Dependent

out of 100 WalkScore® Rating

This area is considered a car-dependent area and most errands will require a car.

6

Minimal Transit

out of 100 TransitScore® Rating

You'll likely want a car when living in this area since it has few transit options.

44

Somewhat Bikeable

out of 100 BikeScore® Rating

You might be able to find places to ride your bike in this area, but you’ll most likely want your car for most errands.

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Manning County Park
  • Ganna Walska Lotusland
  • Lookout County Park
  • Santa Barbara Zoo
  • Toro Canyon County Park

Military Bases

Airports

  • Santa Barbara Municipal

Top Apartments in Montecito

Houses for Rent in Montecito

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2025.