?WhereToHQ

Ranked · Renting · California

Best cities for renters in California

Cities of 25,000+ residents, scored with the “Renting” weighting the live tool uses, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability. Scores are relative to this set; open the tool to change the weights and re-rank.

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Top 10 · computed ranking

  1. 1.Sacramento, CA529k residents

    61/100

    2-bedroom rent: $2,050/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,650/mo · walkability: 48/100

  2. 2.Bakersfield, CA412k residents

    61/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,327/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,088/mo · walkability: 42/100

  3. 3.Fresno, CA546k residents

    60/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,400/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,132/mo · walkability: 48/100

  4. 4.Visalia, CA144k residents

    60/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,385/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $912/mo · walkability: 38/100

  5. 5.Victorville, CA138k residents

    59/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,276/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,112/mo · walkability: 38/100

  6. 6.Stockton, CA322k residents

    58/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,504/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,240/mo · walkability: 42/100

  7. 7.Fontana, CA214k residents

    57/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,697/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,240/mo · walkability: 38/100

  8. 8.Clovis, CA125k residents

    57/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,558/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,323/mo · walkability: 38/100

  9. 9.Modesto, CA219k residents

    56/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,661/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,326/mo · walkability: 38/100

  10. 10.Elk Grove, CA179k residents

    56/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,913/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,331/mo · walkability: 38/100

Methodology: each city is scored 0–100 by min–max normalizing every weighted facet across this candidate set (direction-aware), identical math to the tool's “Best fit” tab. A different weighting produces a different order, which is the point: this is a starting shortlist, not a verdict.

Questions & answers
Which city is best for renters in California?
Sacramento, CA ranks first with a fit score of 61/100, followed by Bakersfield (61) and Fresno (60), using the "Renting" weighting.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each of the 10 candidate cities (25,000+ residents) is scored 0 to 100 by min-max normalizing the weighted facets, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability, across this set. Change the weights in the live tool and the order changes with them.