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California Housing Costs: County by County

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A home in San Mateo County sells for a median of $1,494,500, roughly 7.0 times the $212,000 median in Modoc County. Both counties sit inside California, but they describe two different housing markets. Across all 58 counties in the state, the median home value is $453,950, compared with $172,300 nationally. Median gross rent statewide runs $1,528 a month, and a typical county reports 37.0% of households spending at least 30% of income on housing.

The most expensive counties to buy in California

Median home values climb past statewide norms in a handful of counties. The five priciest, ranked by median value of owner-occupied housing units:

  1. San Mateo County, California: $1,494,500
  2. Marin County, California: $1,390,000
  3. Santa Clara County, California: $1,382,800
  4. San Francisco County, California: $1,380,500
  5. Alameda County, California: $1,057,400

San Mateo County, California carries a median value of $1,494,500, more than 3.3 times the statewide median.

Where homes cost the least

Lower prices cluster in a different group of counties. The five cheapest by median home value:

  1. Modoc County, California: $212,000
  2. Lassen County, California: $259,500
  3. Imperial County, California: $279,500
  4. Siskiyou County, California: $284,500
  5. Tulare County, California: $303,000

At the other end of the market, Modoc County, California posts a median home value of $212,000. Owner-occupied housing there reaches 77.3%, and the median household income is $56,648.

Rent tells a different story

Ownership prices and rent prices do not always move together. The counties with the highest median gross rent:

  1. San Mateo County, California: $2,893 median gross rent
  2. Santa Clara County, California: $2,814 median gross rent
  3. Marin County, California: $2,584 median gross rent
  4. San Francisco County, California: $2,419 median gross rent
  5. Orange County, California: $2,352 median gross rent

Statewide, the median gross rent is $1,528, compared with $848 nationally.

Cost burden: who is really stretched

Cost burden, the share of households paying at least 30% of income for housing, is a better read on strain than sticker price. In Los Angeles County, California, 45.3% of households cross that threshold. The statewide median sits at 37.0%, compared with 23.0% nationally. Counties with the highest share of cost-burdened households:

  1. Los Angeles County, California: 45.3% of households cost-burdened
  2. San Diego County, California: 42.4% of households cost-burdened
  3. Santa Barbara County, California: 41.2% of households cost-burdened
  4. Nevada County, California: 40.9% of households cost-burdened
  5. Tuolumne County, California: 40.9% of households cost-burdened

Ownership rates across the state

Median owner-occupied rate statewide is 63.1%. The counties with the highest ownership share:

  1. Calaveras County, California: 84.4% owner-occupied
  2. Alpine County, California: 81.0% owner-occupied
  3. Amador County, California: 80.1% owner-occupied
  4. Sierra County, California: 78.3% owner-occupied
  5. Modoc County, California: 77.3% owner-occupied

Monthly costs and income context

Monthly ownership costs track closely with home values but add a layer of lived experience. A typical homeowner with a mortgage in Marin County, California pays $4,001 per month, while in Modoc County, California that figure is $1,442. For owners without a mortgage, the statewide picture is different again, reflecting property taxes, insurance, and utilities rather than principal and interest.

Incomes do not keep pace with price in the most expensive counties. In San Mateo County, California the median household income is $156,000, which means the median home costs roughly 9.6 times annual household income. In Modoc County, California, with a median household income of $56,648, the same ratio is about 3.7. The ratio is a crude gauge, but it highlights how purchasing power varies across California.

What the numbers mean

Housing affordability in California cannot be reduced to a single number. The gap of $1,282,500 between the most and least expensive counties shapes where people can live, buy, and build equity. Rent, mortgage payments, cost burden, and ownership rates each draw a slightly different map of the state. For residents, employers, and policymakers, the county scale is where the tradeoffs become visible.

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates
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