Santa Maria, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Santa Maria home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Santa Maria house

$12,746a year · $1,062 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $531,700; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Shopping for home insurance?

Insurers charge very different prices for the same house and coverage. California's free premium survey lists each insurer's price.

Compare insurers' prices

A Santa Maria house at the typical market value ($531,700) costs about $12,800 a year: $5,790 property tax and charges, $1,830 water and sewer, $490 trash, $3,150 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit.
How: Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.
Homeowners' exemption$7,000 off taxable value
California reduces the taxable value of a qualifying owner-occupied home by $7,000.
How: File the claim with the County Assessor.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cart

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 a home is reassessed to market value only on a change of ownership or new construction, so the assessed value on your tax bill is often well below market: use the value on your bill.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, NAIC data via the Insurance Information Institute; California figures from the California Department of Insurance.

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical Santa Maria house uses about 10.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) with PG&E delivery bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 36 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 103 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for the year.
Apr 10Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Santa Maria Utilities Department; Monthly meter charge for a 3/4-inch or smaller meter plus three tiers per unit (1 unit = 100 cubic feet), January 1, 2026 column.
Property tax: 1.10% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 003-000)
Garbage: City of Santa Maria Solid Waste Division; The City's rates are organized by container type (cart or bin) and size.
Sewer: City of Santa Maria Utilities Department; The City bills single-family homes a fixed sewer charge each month.
Electricity: Central Coast Community Energy (3CE); Customers in Santa Maria began receiving service from Central Coast Community Energy (3CE).

Pay or manage your bills

Pay your City utility bill ↗

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How these numbers are made

Individual bills are confidential in California, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Water and sewer: the City's January 1, 2026 rates from its four-year rate notice (council voted to adopt the increases in October 2023): $49.80 a month for a 3/4-inch meter plus $6.12, $6.33 and $6.74 per unit (100 cubic feet) for the first 5, next 10 and over 15 units a month; sewer $40.48 a month. The page starts at 10 units, the notice's single-family monthly average. Rates step up again January 1, 2027. A small part of Santa Maria addresses may be served by another water company.
Trash: the City's adopted FY 2026-27 monthly rates (July 2026 to June 2027), billed on the City utility bill; they step up each July.
Property tax: Santa Barbara County's 2026-27 rates for tax rate area 003-000, the one used by most city parcels (1.10326% in total); other areas run 1.04195% to 1.10326%. The rate book lists no flat direct charges for this area. The starting value is the Census market median, not an assessed value.
Electricity: Central Coast Community Energy (the default supplier) with PG&E delivery on the E-1 plan, 370 kWh a month, plus PG&E's $24.15 fixed Base Services Charge (lower for income-qualified tiers). Gas: SoCalGas at its August 2026 average rate. Insurance is the California average HO-3 premium for 2022, the latest NAIC/California Department of Insurance figure we could find; premiums have risen since, so a current policy may cost more.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Santa Maria compares

A typical Santa Maria house against the 285 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Santa Maria	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.10%	1.13%	lower than 196 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$1,345	$927	higher than 245 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$486	$596	lower than 127 of the other 196 California cities we cover
Trash	$489	$452	higher than 160 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,146	$3,421	lower than 204 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	lower than 1 of the other 272 California cities we cover
Total	$12,746	$14,432	lower than 185 of the other 284 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,345 a year at typical use, higher than 245 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,345 a year at typical use, higher than 245 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Santa Maria house costs

What is the property tax rate in Santa Maria?

About 1.10% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 003-000)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Santa Maria?

About $5,439 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption.

How much is the water bill in Santa Maria?

About $153 a month for water and sewer at typical use (10 units, or 7,480 gallons a month) on City of Santa Maria Utilities Department.

How much does trash pickup cost in Santa Maria?

$41 to $51 a month, depending on the trash cart size (65-gallon cart, 95-gallon cart).

When is property tax due in Santa Maria?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Santa Maria?

Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE: You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit. Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.

How much does a house in Santa Maria cost to run each year?

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