A recent report by Consumer Affairs found the Golden State doesn’t just rank near the bottom of places to buy a home — it actually claimed every spot in a ranking of the 10 worst cities for homebuyers.
Berkeley, the famously liberal bastion, ranked the worst city in America to buy a home, trailed by fellow Bay Area cities Santa Clara and Sunnyvale to round out the bottom three.
San Francisco ranked as the fifth-worst city in America to buy a home, while Southern California cities Burbank, Inglewood and Pasadena finished sixth, seventh and 10th, respectively.
“The biggest issue is affordability,” Dayna Edens, a spokesperson for ConsumerAffairs, told The Post.
“Even though incomes in many Bay Area cities are relatively high, home prices are on another level. Take Berkeley, for example — the median household income is over six figures, but a typical three-bedroom home costs more than $1.4 million.”
A recent UC Berkeley study revealed that those who leave California find a measure of financial relief. The state saw a staggering net loss of 216,000 residents in 2025.
Nationwide, Florida dominated the list of the most buyer-friendly housing markets, claiming six of the top 10 cities. Cape Coral ranked No. 1 overall, with nearly 96% selling at or below list price.
The second- and third-best cities for homebuyers were Palm Coast, Fla., and Surprise, Ariz.,, which offer a combination of affordability and lower competition. Other areas that cracked the top 10 places to buy include Sugar Land, Texas (sixth), Centennial, Colo. (ninth) and Carmel, Ind. (10th).
None of this is to say living in Arizona or Indiana is preferable to living in places like the Bay Area, Edens noted.
“Bay Area cities rank poorly, not because people don’t want to live there, but because they’re some of the hardest places to buy a home,” she said.
“Prices are extremely high relative to income, inventory is limited, and competition is intense — and those are the exact conditions that make a market challenging for buyers.”
The study evaluated 272 cities based on housing market competitiveness, affordability, home size and livability, with affordability and competition accounting for the majority of each city’s score.
High per-square-foot prices further squeeze buyers, particularly in Silicon Valley cities.
“In cities like Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, prices per square foot exceed $1,000, so even smaller homes come with a very high price tag,” Edens said.
At the same time, a shortage of available homes has created fierce competition.
“In Santa Clara, almost 65% of homes are selling above the asking price,” Edens said.
For those looking for a to buy a home and stay in California, a recent a study identified Fresno as one of the best bangs for the buck.
