Santa Monica per diem ratesCalifornia · FY 2027
Santa Monica has the seventh highest full-year average lodging cap of the 295 areas GSA lists above the standard rate, between Boston / Cambridge (MA) and Nantucket (MA). No other California area has a higher full-year average lodging cap; next comes San Francisco ($271). Until FY 2024 its cap changed with the seasons; since FY 2025 one cap applies all year.
Santa Monica since FY 2021
Since FY 2021 Santa Monica’s full-year average has grown 13.1%; ranked by that growth, Santa Monica sits between Columbus (OH) and Kansas City (MO). Against FY 2026, Santa Monica’s full-year average rose 3.7%, between Worcester (MA) and Chicago (IL) among year-on-year changes. In FY 2021 Santa Monica ranked fifth of 293 by full-year average, between Boston / Cambridge (MA) and Sunnyvale / Palo Alto / San Jose (CA). Along the way: flat in FY 2023, up 10.7% in FY 2024, down 1.5% in FY 2025.
Four days in Santa Monica
Monday, October 5, 2026, to Thursday: up to $1,171, three nights of lodging plus $322 M&IE.
Meals and incidentals are paid at the top tier, which 33 areas share. One cap covers all twelve months, 150.4% above the standard rate.