30 Cheapest Places To Live in California in 2026
California has a reputation for being one of America’s most expensive states, thanks to extraordinarily pricey metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Malibu, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, San Diego, Hidden Hills and Newport Beach. Indeed, in some of those cities, the median home values exceed one million dollars and are defined by a cost of living far outside the spending abilities of the average American.
Despite those (very) expensive facts, there are still places to live in the Sunshine State that won’t implode your wallet. To find them, MoneyLion studied data from the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sperling’s BestPlaces and more. From that matrix of economic and housing information, we were able to locate 30 cheap places to live in California, ranking them from cheapest monthly cost of living to the most expensive. Each city costs less than $4,000 monthly, offering residents affordability alongside California living.
Key Findings
The Sunshine State is costly: Unlike states in similar studies performed by MoneyLion, not a single affordable city in California has a monthly cost of living less than $3,000.
California houses a wide disparity of wealth: Across these 30 cities, the median household income forms a vast arc from $35,540 in Crescent City to $89,259 in Ridgecrest.
Houses are still expensive, even in cheaper cities: In one of the 30 metros listed, Crescent City, the average single-family home goes for a whopping $350,911. That’s just over $150,000 more than the most affordable housing listed: Taft, where the average single-family home goes for $199,828.
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1. Taft
Median household income: $72,772
Average home value: $199,828
Average monthly cost of living: $3,140
2. Twentynine Palms
Median household income: $62,554
Average home value: $241,569
Average monthly cost of living: $3,287
3. Mojave
Median household income: $55,660
Average home value: $230,260
Average monthly cost of living: $3,296
4. Blythe
Median household income: $56,625
Average home value: $217,224
Average monthly cost of living: $3,313
5. Clearlake
Median household income: $41,867
Average home value: $199,928
Average monthly cost of living: $3,324
6. Susanville
Median household income: $61,641
Average home value: $230,091
Average monthly cost of living: $3,359
7. Yreka
Median household income: $43,982
Average home value: $247,423
Average monthly cost of living: $3,360
8. Lamont
Median household income: $37,217
Average home value: $244,644
Average monthly cost of living: $3,417
9. Huron
Median household income: $52,500
Average home value: $241,674
Average monthly cost of living: $3,426
10. Corcoran
Median household income: $59,905
Average home value: $263,112
Average monthly cost of living: $3,445
11. Barstow
Median household income: $53,380
Average home value: $260,052
Average monthly cost of living: $3,458
12. Palermo
Median household income: $50,588
Average home value: $235,937
Average monthly cost of living: $3,464
13. Avenal
Median household income: $54,741
Average home value: $251,810
Average monthly cost of living: $3,465
14. Lucerne Valley
Median household income: $54,788
Average home value: $248,338
Average monthly cost of living: $3,506
15. Calipatria
Median household income: $53,299
Average home value: $257,943
Average monthly cost of living: $3,520
16. Ridgecrest
Median household income: $89,250
Average home value: $268,030
Average monthly cost of living: $3,556
17. Oildale
Median household income: $51,298
Average home value: $280,593
Average monthly cost of living: $3,607
18. Earlimart
Median household income: $52,881
Average home value: $259,004
Average monthly cost of living: $3,608
19. Coalinga
Median household income: $75,451
Average home value: $288,268
Average monthly cost of living: $3,640
20. Corning
Median household income: $56,627
Average home value: $287,359
Average monthly cost of living: $3,669
21. California City
Median household income: $60,113
Average home value: $272,599
Average monthly cost of living: $3,670
22. Farmersville
Median household income: $60,804
Average home value: $281,034
Average monthly cost of living: $3,684
23. Orange Cove
Median household income: $46,629
Average home value: $292,777
Average monthly cost of living: $3,693
24. Magalia
Median household income: $56,920
Average home value: $265,755
Average monthly cost of living: $3,707
25. Red Bluff
Median household income: $51,529
Average home value: $304,926
Average monthly cost of living: $3,745
26. Shasta Lake
Median household income: $67,401
Average home value: $288,177
Average monthly cost of living: $3,770
27. Arvin
Median household income: $49,183
Average home value: $294,912
Average monthly cost of living: $3,779
28. Oroville
Median household income: $52,270
Average home value: $297,963
Average monthly cost of living: $3,785
29. Willows
Median household income: $64,068
Average home value: $303,216
Average monthly cost of living: $3,791
30. Crescent City
Median household income: $35,540
Average home value: $350,911
Average monthly cost of living: $3,815
Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion analyzed cities in California to find the cheapest places to live. Using the U.S. Census 2024 5-year ACS cities in California were identified along with their total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and median household income. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling's BestPlaces for each city. Using the national average expenditure costs and the cost-of-living indexes, the total cost for expenditures was calculated for each city. The average single family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for each city. Assuming a 10% downpayment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.09, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data on 2/17/26, the average mortgage was calculated for each city. Using the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living for necessities was calculated for each city. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and included as supplemental information. The cities were sorted to show the cheapest total cost of living first, representing the cheapest places to live in California. All data is up to date as of February 17th, 2026.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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