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    Neighborhoods/California

    Most Affordable Neighborhoods in California (2026 Rankings)

    Finding affordable places to live in California starts with data. We ranked 25 neighborhoods by affordability index, where a score above 100 indicates housing that is more affordable than the national average.

    IrvineCA
    Affordability Index: 91
    Home Value: $950,000
    Population: 307,670
    Walk Score: 61/100
    AQI: 58
    SOMASan Francisco, CA
    Affordability Index: 72
    Home Value: $950,000
    Population: 28,000
    Walk Score: 95/100
    AQI: 55
    RiversideCA
    Affordability Index: 72
    Home Value: $480,000
    Population: 314,998
    Walk Score: 90/100
    AQI: 62
    4
    Lake TahoeCA
    Affordability Index: 66
    Home Value: $580,000
    Population: 21,403
    Walk Score: 65/100
    AQI: 6
    5
    San FranciscoCA
    Affordability Index: 65
    Home Value: $1,200,000
    Population: 873,965
    Walk Score: 99/100
    AQI: 55
    6
    Long BeachCA
    Affordability Index: 62
    Home Value: $680,000
    Population: 466,742
    Walk Score: 97/100
    AQI: 52
    7
    Mission DistrictSan Francisco, CA
    Affordability Index: 58
    Home Value: $1,200,000
    Population: 57,000
    Walk Score: 99/100
    AQI: 55
    8
    Palm SpringsCA
    Affordability Index: 57
    Home Value: $440,000
    Population: 48,518
    Walk Score: 76/100
    AQI: 52
    9
    OxnardCA
    Affordability Index: 57
    Home Value: $565,000
    Population: 202,063
    Walk Score: 95/100
    AQI: 15
    10
    Chula VistaCA
    Affordability Index: 56
    Home Value: $595,000
    Population: 274,492
    Walk Score: 91/100
    AQI: 56
    11
    Silver LakeLos Angeles, CA
    Affordability Index: 47
    Home Value: $1,050,000
    Population: 37,000
    Walk Score: 88/100
    AQI: 55
    12
    The CastroSan Francisco, CA
    Affordability Index: 43
    Home Value: $1,300,000
    Population: 18,000
    Walk Score: 99/100
    AQI: 55
    13
    AnaheimCA
    Affordability Index: 41
    Home Value: $650,000
    Population: 350,365
    Walk Score: 94/100
    AQI: 5
    14
    Santa CruzCA
    Affordability Index: 38
    Home Value: $950,000
    Population: 65,011
    Walk Score: 95/100
    AQI: 32
    15
    MontereyCA
    Affordability Index: 38
    Home Value: $850,000
    Population: 30,267
    Walk Score: 89/100
    AQI: 58
    16
    BakersfieldCA
    Affordability Index: 38
    Home Value: $295,000
    Population: 403,455
    Walk Score: 82/100
    AQI: 64
    17
    Santa AnaCA
    Affordability Index: 38
    Home Value: $610,000
    Population: 309,441
    Walk Score: 99/100
    AQI: 58
    18
    NapaCA
    Affordability Index: 36
    Home Value: $680,000
    Population: 79,068
    Walk Score: 98/100
    AQI: 17
    19
    Nob HillSan Francisco, CA
    Affordability Index: 35
    Home Value: $1,050,000
    Population: 22,000
    Walk Score: 98/100
    AQI: 55
    20
    Carmel-by-the-SeaCA
    Affordability Index: 34
    Home Value: $1,650,000
    Population: 3,897
    Walk Score: 90/100
    AQI: 58
    21
    San BernardinoCA
    Affordability Index: 33
    Home Value: $340,000
    Population: 222,101
    Walk Score: 69/100
    AQI: 54
    22
    SacramentoCA
    Affordability Index: 31
    Home Value: $420,000
    Population: 524,943
    Walk Score: 98/100
    AQI: 55
    23
    San DiegoCA
    Affordability Index: 30
    Home Value: $725,000
    Population: 1,423,851
    Walk Score: 99/100
    AQI: 51
    24
    Santa MonicaLos Angeles, CA
    Affordability Index: 28
    Home Value: $1,490,000
    Population: 93,076
    Walk Score: 92/100
    AQI: 6
    25
    San Luis ObispoCA
    Affordability Index: 25
    Home Value: $790,000
    Population: 47,063
    Walk Score: 97/100
    AQI: 53

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