The Good Side Santa Ana Has Low Tax Rates Santa Ana, being the county seat of Orange County and the largest city in the county, has sales tax rates and real estate tax rates that are lower than those of many other cities in Southern California. The total rate of the state and the city’s sales tax comes to 9.25% in this city. This tax is the total combined rate of the sales taxes set by the state, the county, and the city. This tax rate is one whole percentage point lower than that of the neighboring city of Los Angeles, which results in savings of approximately $250 per year for the typical taxpayer in the middle class. The Bad Side Santa Ana Is an Expensive City When selecting a new residence, the cost of living is essential. Santa Ana has a higher cost of living than the national average and most California towns. This place has a 46.3% higher cost of living than the rest of the country. The city tends to have a higher overall average of housing costs, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous products and services, even though some locations can be more expensive on a state and federal level for various reasons. Santa Ana’s housing expenses are among the highest in the country, although they do not compare to those in California’s priciest municipalities. The town has a median home cost of $687,800, and the home appreciation rate over the past decade was 115.6%. The average price to rent an apartment with a 1-bedroom is $1,690, while a 2-bedroom unit costs $2,080. These rent costs rank Santa Ana as the twelfth most expensive city to rent in the United States. There is also a high expense associated with transportation, with monthly transit passes costing around $69 on average. Comparable to the national average, people of the Greater Los Angeles area spend 12.4% of their household budget on food. 52.9 % of this food budget is spent on meals at home, while dining out expense is 47.1%. Therefore, if you want to live a comfortable life once you move to the city, you need to think about this before you get here.