Best And Worst CA Cities For First-Time Homebuyers: Report

CALIFORNIA — California has some of the most expensive housing markets in the country, so it's no surprise that many cities in the Golden State ranked among the worst cities for first-time homebuyers, according to a new study.

WalletHub recently released its report on the Best and Worst Cities for First-Time Homebuyers in 2024, and many California cities ranked at the bottom of the list. The personal finance website took the pulse of real estate in 300 cities of varying sizes across three key dimensions: affordable housing, cost of living and real estate tax rate.

Roseville, located in the Sacramento metropolitan area, ranked as the best city in California for first-time homebuyers. The city ranked 30th overall and was the only city in the Golden State that landed in the top 50.

Conversely, 29 cities in California ranked among the 50 worst cities for first-time homebuyers.

Berkeley ranked as the worst city in California and the overall worst city in the country for first-time homebuyers. Berkeley ranked 297th for affordability, 263rd for real-estate market, and 281st for quality of life.

Eight of the 10 worst cities were in California, according to the report. The other California cities were Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Glendale and Costa Mesa. Anchorage, Alaska, and New York City also ranked among the top 10 worst cities for first-time homebuyers.

As for the best cities, Florida claimed the top five spots. Palm Bay, Florida, ranked as the overall best city in the country for first-time homebuyers, followed by Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Tampa and Orlando.

Here's how cities in California ranked in the study:

• No. 30: Roseville
• No. 56: Elk Grove
• No. 57: Clovis
• No. 70: Victorville
• No. 73: Murrieta
• No. 79: Visalia
• No. 82: Vacaville
• No. 83: Lancaster
• No. 95: Palmdale
• No. 96: Temecula
• No. 124: Chico
• No. 150: Corona
• No. 153: Fontana
• No. 155: Fairfield
• No. 157: Moreno Valley
• No. 161: Sacramento
• No. 165: Fresno
• No. 167: Ontario
• No. 174: Bakersfield
• No. 180: Simi Valley
• No. 182: Rancho Cucamonga
• No. 185: Riverside
• No. 186: Antioch
• No. 187: Rialto
• No. 197: Modesto
• No. 198: Santa Maria
• No. 199: Chula Vista
• No. 200: Santa Rosa
• No. 201: Mission Viejo
• No. 202: San Bernardino
• No. 205: Carson
• No. 207: Vallejo
• No. 208: Santa Clarita
• No. 209: Norwalk
• No. 212: Irvine
• No. 214: Stockton
• No. 220: Pomona
• No. 223: Santa Clara
• No. 224: Santa Ana
• No. 225: Orange
• No. 226: Thousand Oaks
• No. 228: Sunnyvale
• No. 229: West Covina
• No. 231: Escondido
• No. 232: Salinas
• No. 234: Concord
• No. 238: Fremont
• No. 240: Vista
• No. 244: Garden Grove
• No. 245: Hayward
• No. 247: Ventura
• No. 248: San Diego
• No. 251: Oxnard
• No. 253: Carlsbad
• No. 254: Oceanside
• No. 255: Compton
• No. 261: Anaheim
• No. 262: Huntington Beach
• No. 265: El Cajon
• No. 266: Fullerton
• No. 270: Torrance
• No. 272: Downey
• No. 273: El Monte
• No. 274: South Gate
• No. 275: Inglewood
• No. 278: San Jose
• No. 280: Richmond
• No. 282: Pasadena
• No. 284: Daly City
• No. 285: Westminster
• No. 286: San Mateo
• No. 288: Long Beach
• No. 290: Burbank
• No. 292: Costa Mesa
• No. 293: Glendale
• No. 294: Los Angeles
• No. 295: San Francisco
• No. 296: Oakland
• No. 297: Santa Barbara
• No. 299: Santa Monica
• No. 300: Berkeley

Read the full report here.

Also see:

• 4 CA Cities Among Top 10 Happiest In U.S.: Report
• CA Dominates World's Most 'Impossibly Unaffordable' Places For Housing
• These Are The Most And Least Educated Cities In CA: Report
• These Are The Best And Worst CA Cities For Staycations: Report
• These Are The Best — And Worst — Places To Raise A Family In CA: Study
• These Are The Top-Ranked Hospitals In California: U.S. News Ranking
• These Are CA's 10 Deadliest Roads: Report