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Cities with the most expensive homes in California

·Stacker

Konstantin L // Shutterstock
Konstantin L // Shutterstock

Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers.

The typical home value in the United States was $372,057 in June, 1.1% higher than the year before.

High mortgage rates are also making monthly payments more expensive; as of July 16, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits at 6.55%.

Although home prices have inflated all across the U.S., there are some cities that command a higher price tag than others. Location, size, age, and condition are all contributing factors to home value.

Stacker compiled a list of cities with the most expensive homes in California using data from Zillow. Cities are ranked by the Zillow Home Values Index for all homes as of June 2026. The charts in this story were created automatically using Matplotlib.

Metros with the most cities in the top 30 in California
#1. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA: 11
#2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8
#3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 6
#4. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 2
#4. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: 2
#6. Salinas, CA: 1

#30. San Marino

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#30. San Marino

- Typical home value: $2,839,224
- 1-year price change: +7.0%
- 5-year price change: +22.9%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#29. Menlo Park

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#29. Menlo Park

- Typical home value: $2,883,588
- 1-year price change: +6.4%
- 5-year price change: +17.6%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#28. Emerald Lake Hills

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#28. Emerald Lake Hills

- Typical home value: $2,894,381
- 1-year price change: +3.4%
- 5-year price change: +10.2%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#27. Del Monte Forest

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#27. Del Monte Forest

- Typical home value: $2,999,889
- 1-year price change: +3.9%
- 5-year price change: +29.2%
- Metro area: Salinas, CA

#26. Laguna Beach

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#26. Laguna Beach

- Typical home value: $3,031,398
- 1-year price change: +5.1%
- 5-year price change: +36.2%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#25. Cupertino

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#25. Cupertino

- Typical home value: $3,065,443
- 1-year price change: +2.7%
- 5-year price change: +30.0%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#24. Tiburon

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#24. Tiburon

- Typical home value: $3,087,746
- 1-year price change: +6.2%
- 5-year price change: +11.0%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#23. Summerland

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#23. Summerland

- Typical home value: $3,105,149
- 1-year price change: +3.6%
- 5-year price change: +41.5%
- Metro area: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

#22. Rolling Hills

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#22. Rolling Hills

- Typical home value: $3,138,306
- 1-year price change: +0.1%
- 5-year price change: +16.1%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#21. Diablo

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#21. Diablo

- Typical home value: $3,143,350
- 1-year price change: +0.4%
- 5-year price change: +5.9%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#20. Malibu

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#20. Malibu

- Typical home value: $3,212,655
- 1-year price change: -0.0%
- 5-year price change: +12.2%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#19. Stanford

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#19. Stanford

- Typical home value: $3,294,141
- 1-year price change: +3.1%
- 5-year price change: +23.5%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#18. Manhattan Beach

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#18. Manhattan Beach

- Typical home value: $3,315,156
- 1-year price change: +8.3%
- 5-year price change: +24.3%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#17. Stinson Beach

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#17. Stinson Beach

- Typical home value: $3,548,433
- 1-year price change: +9.7%
- 5-year price change: +10.8%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#16. Palo Alto

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#16. Palo Alto

- Typical home value: $3,604,398
- 1-year price change: +3.6%
- 5-year price change: +17.5%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#15. Beverly Hills

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#15. Beverly Hills

- Typical home value: $3,686,749
- 1-year price change: +6.3%
- 5-year price change: +5.9%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#14. Newport Beach

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#14. Newport Beach

- Typical home value: $3,732,150
- 1-year price change: +10.5%
- 5-year price change: +61.9%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#13. Del Mar

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#13. Del Mar

- Typical home value: $3,831,646
- 1-year price change: +7.2%
- 5-year price change: +35.2%
- Metro area: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

#12. Woodside

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#12. Woodside

- Typical home value: $3,968,925
- 1-year price change: +5.5%
- 5-year price change: +15.3%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#11. Saratoga

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#11. Saratoga

- Typical home value: $4,094,085
- 1-year price change: +3.1%
- 5-year price change: +33.2%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#10. Ross

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#10. Ross

- Typical home value: $4,171,449
- 1-year price change: +7.1%
- 5-year price change: +13.2%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#9. Portola Valley

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#9. Portola Valley

- Typical home value: $4,294,598
- 1-year price change: +9.8%
- 5-year price change: +26.3%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#8. Rancho Santa Fe

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#8. Rancho Santa Fe

- Typical home value: $4,444,636
- 1-year price change: +4.9%
- 5-year price change: +52.3%
- Metro area: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

#7. Los Altos

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#7. Los Altos

- Typical home value: $4,621,829
- 1-year price change: +5.7%
- 5-year price change: +30.7%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#6. Belvedere

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#6. Belvedere

- Typical home value: $4,935,007
- 1-year price change: +7.6%
- 5-year price change: +10.1%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#5. Hidden Hills

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#5. Hidden Hills

- Typical home value: $5,230,575
- 1-year price change: +5.8%
- 5-year price change: +39.7%
- Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

#4. Hillsborough

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#4. Hillsborough

- Typical home value: $5,486,661
- 1-year price change: +9.9%
- 5-year price change: +15.1%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

#3. Montecito

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#3. Montecito

- Typical home value: $5,619,518
- 1-year price change: +10.9%
- 5-year price change: +54.1%
- Metro area: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

#2. Los Altos Hills

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#2. Los Altos Hills

- Typical home value: $5,973,143
- 1-year price change: +3.9%
- 5-year price change: +21.2%
- Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

#1. Atherton

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#1. Atherton

- Typical home value: $8,442,956
- 1-year price change: +12.3%
- 5-year price change: +22.4%
- Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA