Central Coast jumbo loans: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey.
On the Central Coast the 2026 conforming loan limit depends on the county: $941,850 in Santa Barbara, $1,000,500 in San Luis Obispo and $994,750 in Monterey. A loan above the county’s limit is a jumbo loan.
2026 loan limits
One-unit homes. Source: FHFA’s 2026 county loan limit file, read November 10, 2026. Per HUD, the 2026 FHA limit for a one-family home is the same figure in each of the three counties (read November 6, 2026). Limits change each January, and the 2027 figures are expected in late November 2026. These are published limits, not an offer of any loan amount.
On this site the Central Coast means Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. Each is its own metropolitan area, so FHFA sets each limit from that county’s home values. All three are above the national baseline of $832,750 and below the $1,249,125 used in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
Because the limits are lower here, a loan becomes jumbo sooner than it would in Los Angeles or Silicon Valley. The same loan amount can be conforming in one of these counties and jumbo in the next, so the county line matters when you are looking at homes along the coast.
Many homes here are bought as second homes, and some sit on acreage or come with vineyards, orchards or guest houses. Standard home loans are written for houses people live in. A property that earns farm income, or one meant to be rented by the night, may not fit a standard loan, and each lender draws that line in its own place. Rules on short-term rentals also differ from town to town, so check locally before you count on rental income.
Pictures of the Central Coast area
Pictures are AI-generated illustrations of the general area. They do not show any particular home, address or listing.
Which page fits you.
Buyers here often earn their income somewhere else in California. Pick the page that matches how you are paid.
Tech professionals
For RSU, stock and bonus income, including when the purchase is a second home.
How stock and bonus income is counted
Entertainers and creators
For 1099, residual and royalty income, and for buyers who want title held in a trust.
How 1099 and royalty income is counted
Athletes and sports professionals
For contract and seasonal income, and a home away from where you play.
How contract income is countedPlain answers.
What are the 2026 loan limits in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties?
Why are the limits different in each county?
Can I finance a second home or vacation home on the Central Coast?
What counts as a jumbo loan here?
General education only. Each lender sets its own rules, and they change. Nothing here is a promise that a loan will be approved or of any terms. This is not tax, legal or investment advice: for those questions, ask your own CPA, attorney or business manager.
Buying on the Central Coast?
Tell Sam the county and how you plan to use the home. Both decide which loans are open to you.