Affordable places to live in california with good schools

Here Are The Places to Live in Southern California

California, the “Golden State,” is the third most expensive state to live in. Aside from beautiful beaches, there are mountains, valleys, lakes, and deserts. Many dream of living there. However, it’s not that easy to find the cheapest places to live in Southern California. You’ll want to find a discount realtor to help you locate the best places to live.

Cost of Living in California

The cost-of-living index in the state is 173, 73% higher than the national average. California’s income tax rate is 13.3% and its sales tax is 7.75%, the highest rates in the nation. 

The California median home price is $717,930 in 2021. Fortunately, California collects only 0.74% of a property’s assessed fair market value as property tax per year. That’s why people are so curious about the cheapest places to live in Southern California.

Utilities

The average monthly bill for electricity and gas service from Pacific Gas & Electric jumped to $196.95 a month effective March 1, 2021 — an increase of 4.6% in just two months. That makes it harder to find inexpensive utilities, especially if you’re looking for the cheapest places to live in Souther California.

Transportation

California is a huge state: the distance between San Diego to San Francisco is 502 miles, a 7.67 hour drive. Its cities spread out for miles, and travel from one area to the next requires a car. With gasoline at $3.77 a gallon, driving to work can get pricey.

Robust Job Market

However, California is also the fifth largest economy in the entire world, ranking above countries like Russia, the United Kingdom, and India. People often move to the state for a specific job, but it’s not hard to find one, regardless. If you’re a writer, entrepreneur, engineer, coder, or pretty much anything else, it’s a great place to find work.  

The state also offers opportunities to workers that don’t have a college degree. California has plenty of job opportunities in the trades, transportation, and utilities. Although California does have a high cost of living, the power of California’s economy is its versatility.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Bakersfield

Bakersfield has over 300,000 residents, and is within 2 to 3 hours driving from the coast, great wineries, big cities, and national parks. A suburban community supported by agriculture and the oil industry, it has an average annual household income of $68,268. 

The cost-of-living index is 97, 3% cheaper than the rest of the country. If you’re looking for the cheapest places to live in Southern California, Bakersfield is an excellent choice. The median home cost is $285,000, and the average rent is $1,073. 

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Clovis

Clovis sits smack dab in the center of the state, making it a short drive from beaches, mountains, forest and other cities. Its 120,104 residents appreciate the charming downtown, good schools, and low cost of living. The median annual household income in Clovis is $96,614.

Clovis is 6.5 miles northeast of Fresno. It boasts over 13 miles of paved pedestrian hiking and biking trails and amenities you’ll love from restaurants, cafés, and bars to treasure-filled antique stores, gift and souvenir shops. The median home cost in Clovis is $410,000, while the average rent is $1,309.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: El Centro

El Centro is the county seat of Imperial County, about 116 miles east of San Diego, with a population of 44,059. With canyons, mountains, mud volcanoes, and vast tracts of desert, El Centro is known for its natural attractions. 

The average household income in El Centro is $67,324. The cost of living index is 92.1, making this inland, border region 7.9% cheaper than the rest of the U.S. The median home value in El Centro is $270,587, while the average rent is $1,281. This is the cheapest place to live in Southern California. 

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Fresno

At 215 miles north of Los Angeles, Fresno is more central than southern California. One of the cheapest places to live in Southern California, Fresno has lots of shopping, restaurants, farmer’s markets, community events, and a population of 777,000. It’s a family-oriented city with award-winning schools, great jobs, world-class hospitals, beautiful neighborhoods, and a popular local college.

The average household income in Fresno is $69,880. The cost-of-living index is 102.6, 2.6% higher than the U.S. average. The average price to buy a home in Fresno is $270,000, while the average rent is $856.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Lancaster

Lancaster is situated on the northern end of Los Angeles County in the Antelope Valley. Lancaster’s population is 155,559 with an average household income of $70,646. One of the cheapest places to live in Southern California, it offers the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, but it’s not too far away for quick trips to Los Angeles. 

One especially interesting thing about Lancaster is Musical Road — the first of its kind in the U.S. Drive along Avenue G, and you’ll hear the road play the “William Tell Overture.” The cost-of-living index is 112.7, 12.7% more expensive than the U.S. average. The median home price in Lancaster is $339,900, while rent averages $1,650.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Oceanside

Oceanside is the northernmost city in San Diego County, just south of the Camp Pendleton military base.  The city boasts a population of 175,710, with an average household income of $61,778. 

Oceanside is a relatively safe place to live in California and has some of the best restaurants in North County San Diego. It boasts a popular beer trail and a long, sandy beach. The median home value in Oceanside is $579,900 and the average rent is $1,961.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Oxnard

Oxnard, a beach city in Ventura County with 841,734 residents, is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 38 miles north of Santa Barbara. With 20 miles of beaches, activities like kayaking, surfing and whale watching abound. Restaurants in the city showcase multicultural cuisine with Mexican, Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, and American specialties. 

With an average household income of $88,891, Oxnard is an agricultural hub. Because of this, there is a year-round abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Oxnard is also considered as one of the cheapest places to live in Southern California near the beach. The median home cost in Oxnard is $554,471, while average rent is $2,098.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga is located about halfway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, along Route 66. Nestled in the foothills of the mountains, this once large wine-producing region has become a growing metropolis, with 178,119 residents and an average household income of $108,525. 

Rancho Cucamonga contains multiple unique dining choices. There are also several local wineries for wine tasting. It’s easy to take a day trip into the Los Angeles area, Palm Springs, or Joshua Tree. The average area rent is $2,113 with the median home cost at $614,671.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Redlands

Redlands, near San Bernardino in Southern California, has a population of 71,707 and an average household income of $103,196. It’s known for beautifully preserved historic buildings that date back to the 1800s. 

Top attractions include the sprawling Kimberly Crest House & Gardens, the 1920s Redlands Bowl amphitheater, and the San Bernardino County Museum. The median home cost in Redlands is $350,900 and the average rent is $1,213.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Seal Beach

With a Greatschools rating of 10 on NerdWallet, Seal Beach is one of the best and cheaper choices for families in Southern California. It sits 28 miles east of Los Angeles, directly between Long Beach and Huntington Beach. 

The quintessential “sleepy beach” town has a population of 24,510 with an average yearly household income of $109,743. With Boeing calling Seal Beach home, it has some of the lowest housing prices in California. The median home cost in Seal Beach is $325,000 and the average rent cost is $1,795 per month.

Cheapest Places to Live in Southern California: Temecula

As the southwestern anchor of the Inland Empire, Temecula is a big draw for growing families. It has a population of 115,055 and an average household income of $112,860.

Temecula is known for its outstanding wine country, gorgeous valley scenery, fun festivals, excellent schools, and beautifully planned neighborhoods. The average rent is $1,875, while the median home cost is $558,532. 

Can I afford to live in Southern California?

Before you look at homes anywhere in Southern California, you need to know whether you can actually afford to own one. Mortgage payments are generally higher than rent in most states. And even when the prices are close, there are other costs associated with owning your home instead of renting. 

Your property taxes will be added to your monthly mortgage payment. And if you put down less than 20% for a down payment, your lender will probably require you to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI) as well. 

You’ll also have to pay some costs that you might not have had to pay while renting: utilities, cable, garbage pickup, and any necessary repairs. 

Make sure you can comfortably afford not just your mortgage but also any additional expenses before buying your first home. 

If you’ve run the numbers and decided that yes, you can afford homeownership, your next step is to meet with a mortgage lender. You can discuss the different types of mortgages and decide which would be best for you. You’ll also want to be pre-approved for a mortgage before you begin house-hunting. 

To get pre-approved for a mortgage, you’ll have to share your financial and employment information with the lender. They’ll require documentation such as tax forms, pay stubs, and more. Once they review and verify your information, they’ll determine whether to approve you for a mortgage. If they do, they’ll let you know your mortgage options and terms. 

The lender will also issue a pre-approval letter. You can show this to sellers when you’re looking at homes, to let them know that you’re able to secure financing. 

If you’re dreaming of a move to Southern California, UpNest, which is owned by parent company Realtor.com, can help you review local Realtors and find the right one for you. We can also help you finance your dream with low-cost loan packages. You’ll also be eligible for a home buyer rebate, where you can save thousands with your UpNest Agent.

Above all, remember that your Realtor should be there to aid in your home buying process, not just to show you listings. Helping you avoid the wrong time to buy, the wrong location or the wrong house for your budget can all go a long, long way in making sure that you’re happy with the end result. Beyond that, realtors aren’t all the same, and you will need to find one that gels with your interest as a home buyer before choosing to go the length of the field with them.

UpNest uses a proprietary agent matching system that considers closed listings, location of listing, and other factors to provide the customer with 3-5 individual proposals. 

The proposal includes commission information, marketing techniques, a Q&A about the agents, local trends, reviews, and more. Once agents start using UpNest’s platform, the matching system evaluates their performance with UpNest, including conversion rates and response time.

UpNest is a no-cost service for home sellers and buyers to find the best real estate agents locally. The UpNest platform allows you to compare multiple agents in your area so you can compare reviews, commission rates, previous sales, and more.

Our agents have been carefully vetted and often offer competitive, lower than average commission rates to UpNest customers. There is no obligation to sign up with one of our Realtors, but when you can potentially save thousands on commission – why wouldn’t you? If you’re ready to get started, just enter your zipcode below!

It may take some number-crunching, but in the end you will probably find that there are many cities in Southern California that fall within your price range. A cost of living calculator can help you determine costs, but in the end only you will know if it’s worth the higher prices to live in the wild expanse of Southern California.

If you decide to move to Southern California, a local Realtor can guide you through the process. The free service from UpNest will help you find top-quality real estate agents, and they will send you competitive proposals. Once you are working with a Realtor, you will find the cheapest place to live in Southern California that also offers the amenities you want in a city!

What is the cheapest place to live in California?

El Centro is the cheapest place to live in California. The median home value in El Centro is only $270,587, while the average rent is $1,281

What is the average home value in California?

The California median home price is $717,930 in 2021.

Where is the cheapest but nicest place to live in California?

What city in California has the best schools?

What is the cheapest and safest place to live in California?

What city in California has the lowest cost of living?