a landable guide
California has 39 million people and wildly different price points. These are the cities where the lifestyle math actually holds up.
By Karol Gajda
California is a contradiction: the best weather and outdoor access in the country, paired with some of the worst affordability. But the state is enormous, and the range between its cities is just as wide as the range between states.
This list covers every California metro in the Landable dataset, ranked by the standard composite. The cities that rise are the ones that kept prices within reason without giving up the things that make California worth the trouble.
01
Photo by Andrew Whitmore on Unsplash
CA · 4.6M metro
San Francisco tops California: 312 pleasant days a year, a Walk Score of 99, and $3,146 median rent that keeps the California math workable.
see the full dispatch for San Francisco02
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CA · 3.3M metro
San Diego lands second with 332 pleasant days and a Walk Score of 99. The weather is the draw; $2,890 rent is the part that does not break the budget.
see the full dispatch for San Diego03
CA · 830k metro
Oxnard takes third: $2,995 a month, 342 pleasant days, and a Walk Score of 96.
see the full dispatch for Oxnard04
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CA · 282k metro
San Luis Obispo pairs 303 pleasant days with a Walk Score of 98 and $3,095 rent. California weather at a livable price.
see the full dispatch for San Luis Obispo05
Photo by Cedric Letsch on Unsplash
CA · 12.8M metro
Los Angeles earns its spot on balance: $2,899 median rent, 283 pleasant days, Walk Score 96.
see the full dispatch for Los Angeles06
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CA · 431k metro
Salinas is the mid-list California pick that holds up: $2,813 rent, 335 pleasant days, Walk Score 79.
see the full dispatch for Salinas07
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CA · 2.4M metro
Sacramento clears the bar with 211 pleasant days, $2,226 median rent, and a Walk Score of 98.
see the full dispatch for Sacramento08
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CA · 482k metro
Santa Rosa keeps the California case workable: 254 pleasant days at $2,597 a month.
see the full dispatch for Santa Rosa09
CA · 4.7M metro
Riverside lands near the bottom of the ten and still earns it: $2,493 rent, 249 pleasant days, Walk Score 92.
see the full dispatch for Riverside10
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CA · 441k metro
Santa Maria rounds out California: $3,352 median rent, 337 pleasant days, Walk Score 87.
see the full dispatch for Santa MariaWe rank by 25% affordability, 25% weather, 20% parks, 15% things to do, 10% walkability, and 5% flight connectivity among California cities. No rent cap.
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