Ranked for Affordable Living
Best Places to Live in California for Affordable Living
Low cost of living, rent, home prices, and total tax burden Ranked by how well each place fits the Affordable Living profile across cost, schools, climate, and safety — see how we score.
Top 25 places
- #1EscondidoPopulation 151,114 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #2San MarcosPopulation 94,360 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #3Santa BarbaraPopulation 88,640 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #4GardenaPopulation 60,377 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #5LincolnPopulation 50,131 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #6AtascaderoPopulation 29,758 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #7West Whittier-Los NietosPopulation 25,442 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #8Seal BeachPopulation 25,046 · mixed overall livability23% match
- #9Los AngelesPopulation 3,881,041 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #10San DiegoPopulation 1,383,987 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #11FresnoPopulation 541,528 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #12SacramentoPopulation 523,600 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #13Long BeachPopulation 462,293 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #14OaklandPopulation 437,825 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #15BakersfieldPopulation 404,321 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #16AnaheimPopulation 347,111 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #17StocktonPopulation 320,030 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #18RiversidePopulation 316,076 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #19Santa AnaPopulation 311,379 · solid overall livability11% match
- #20FremontPopulation 228,795 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #21San BernardinoPopulation 221,041 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #22ModestoPopulation 218,308 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #23Moreno ValleyPopulation 209,578 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #24FontanaPopulation 209,279 · mixed overall livability11% match
- #25OxnardPopulation 202,279 · solid overall livability11% match
Match % is a range-based fit: the share of this profile's weighted factors whose value for a place lands inside the profile's preferred band. It is not an absolute quality score, and very small communities are excluded from this list.
Tune these weights yourself on the interactive map →
Disagree with the ranking? Drag the sliders for affordable living and watch the map re-score every place in California live.