Best Places93003, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 93003, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
93003 ranks 5,749th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 93003
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
93003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 93003 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 277 pleasant days a year, better than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 93003 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,601 a month, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 93003
A household needs to earn about $198,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 93003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $110,700, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 93003's effective rate of 0.59%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 93003
93003's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 93003.
Who works in 93003, and how
Work in 93003 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 93003
93003 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. The coast is about 5 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 93003 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 93003, month by month
93003 sees roughly 277 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 73 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 46. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 56° | 46° |
| April | 68° | 58° | 50° |
| July | 73° | 66° | 60° |
| October | 76° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 93003
The nearest airport, Santa Barbara Municipal, is about 37 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 50 miles away.
The best schools in and around 93003
Schools across 93003 average a C+, better than 44% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mound ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Poinsettia ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
- Loma Vista ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cabrillo MiddleB− · 41% proficient
- Balboa MiddleC · 34% proficient
- Anacapa MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Foothill Technology HighA · 70% proficient
- El Camino HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Buena HighB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 93003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
93003 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 93003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 93003 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 93003
Is 93003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 93003 ranks 5,749th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, biking, and walkability, and lowest on childcare costs and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 93003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $781,491. The overall cost of living runs about 33% above the national average. Set against a $110,700 median income, cost of living beats 48% of zip codes.
Is 93003 safe?
93003 is safer than 37% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $396 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 93003?
July highs average about 73 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 46. That works out to about 277 pleasant days a year, more than 99% of zip codes.
Is 93003 good for families?
Schools beat 44% of zip codes, crime safety beats 37%, and childcare runs $1,601 a month.
Compare 93003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 93003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 93003 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
93003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 93003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 93003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 93003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 93003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
93003 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.