Most Expensive US Cities by Median Home Value
Among US cities with at least 50,000 residents, Newport Beach, CA has the country's most expensive housing, with a median home value of $2,000,000+ — versus a national median of $303,400. The 100 priciest markets are ranked below.
Top 10 by Median Home Value
California utterly dominates this ranking, supplying 82 of the 100 most expensive cities — the visible result of decades in which coastal job growth outran housing construction. In Newport Beach, the median home costs about 12.6x the median household income, a ratio at which a conventional mortgage is out of reach for most local earners despite the city's high incomes.
Note that these are median values for entire cities, so uniformly expensive small cities outrank larger ones that mix luxury and affordable neighborhoods. Values at $2,000,001 are the Census Bureau's reporting cap — those markets' true medians are higher, and their order within the tie is not meaningful. For the state-level view, see the most expensive states, and for prices relative to incomes, the affordability ranking.
Full Rankings
| # | City | Home Value | Median Income | Value-to-Income | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport Beach, CA | $2,000,000+ | $158,461 | 12.6x | 84,304 |
| 2 | Palo Alto, CA | $2,000,000+ | $220,408 | 9.1x | 67,231 |
| 3 | Cupertino, CA | $2,000,000+ | $231,139 | 8.7x | 58,886 |
| 4 | Mountain View, CA | $1,927,400 | $179,917 | 10.7x | 82,363 |
| 5 | Redwood City, CA | $1,838,800 | $150,840 | 12.2x | 82,423 |
| 6 | Sunnyvale, CA | $1,816,600 | $181,862 | 10.0x | 153,455 |
| 7 | Santa Monica, CA | $1,810,200 | $109,739 | 16.5x | 91,535 |
| 8 | San Mateo, CA | $1,563,200 | $152,669 | 10.2x | 103,555 |
| 9 | Santa Clara, CA | $1,527,900 | $173,670 | 8.8x | 129,239 |
| 10 | Santa Barbara, CA | $1,466,400 | $101,672 | 14.4x | 88,024 |
| 11 | Encinitas, CA | $1,466,000 | $150,471 | 9.7x | 61,585 |
| 12 | Pleasanton, CA | $1,432,300 | $186,206 | 7.7x | 77,500 |
| 13 | San Francisco, CA | $1,380,500 | $141,446 | 9.8x | 836,321 |
| 14 | San Ramon, CA | $1,359,100 | $197,358 | 6.9x | 85,734 |
| 15 | Berkeley, CA | $1,351,100 | $108,558 | 12.4x | 120,223 |
| 16 | Arcadia, CA | $1,336,500 | $116,142 | 11.5x | 55,550 |
| 17 | McLean, VA | $1,304,900 | $250,000+ | 5.2x | 50,232 |
| 18 | Fremont, CA | $1,289,400 | $176,350 | 7.3x | 228,518 |
| 19 | San Rafael, CA | $1,246,200 | $109,317 | 11.4x | 60,604 |
| 20 | Sammamish, WA | $1,240,300 | $227,273 | 5.5x | 66,375 |
| 21 | Brookline, MA | $1,233,100 | $140,631 | 8.8x | 62,822 |
| 22 | Redondo Beach, CA | $1,225,400 | $144,588 | 8.5x | 69,814 |
| 23 | Dublin, CA | $1,224,100 | $205,046 | 6.0x | 70,542 |
| 24 | San Clemente, CA | $1,220,500 | $134,735 | 9.1x | 63,510 |
| 25 | Alameda, CA | $1,203,900 | $132,015 | 9.1x | 76,876 |
| 26 | Bellevue, WA | $1,203,100 | $161,300 | 7.5x | 151,199 |
| 27 | Newton, MA | $1,202,500 | $184,989 | 6.5x | 88,504 |
| 28 | San Jose, CA | $1,187,800 | $141,565 | 8.4x | 990,054 |
| 29 | Santa Cruz, CA | $1,180,100 | $111,427 | 10.6x | 60,953 |
| 30 | Milpitas, CA | $1,180,000 | $176,822 | 6.7x | 78,216 |
| 31 | East Honolulu, HI | $1,172,300 | $158,398 | 7.4x | 50,961 |
| 32 | South San Francisco, CA | $1,160,100 | $135,909 | 8.5x | 64,487 |
| 33 | Carlsbad, CA | $1,156,900 | $139,326 | 8.3x | 114,500 |
| 34 | Bethesda, MD | $1,129,700 | $191,348 | 5.9x | 67,403 |
| 35 | Laguna Niguel, CA | $1,123,000 | $140,605 | 8.0x | 64,023 |
| 36 | Irvine, CA | $1,115,400 | $129,647 | 8.6x | 308,160 |
| 37 | Daly City, CA | $1,092,700 | $119,570 | 9.1x | 102,560 |
| 38 | Yorba Linda, CA | $1,091,700 | $152,060 | 7.2x | 67,407 |
| 39 | Redmond, WA | $1,091,700 | $162,099 | 6.7x | 75,721 |
| 40 | Union City, CA | $1,058,200 | $137,194 | 7.7x | 68,141 |
| 41 | Castro Valley, CA | $1,058,200 | $138,069 | 7.7x | 65,389 |
| 42 | Costa Mesa, CA | $1,054,700 | $110,073 | 9.6x | 110,538 |
| 43 | Huntington Beach, CA | $1,047,300 | $119,885 | 8.7x | 196,010 |
| 44 | Pasadena, CA | $1,045,000 | $103,778 | 10.1x | 136,462 |
| 45 | Glendale, CA | $1,043,900 | $84,262 | 12.4x | 192,270 |
| 46 | Burbank, CA | $1,041,100 | $95,816 | 10.9x | 105,165 |
| 47 | Cambridge, MA | $1,040,500 | $126,469 | 8.2x | 117,794 |
| 48 | Livermore, CA | $1,038,600 | $153,602 | 6.8x | 85,870 |
| 49 | Torrance, CA | $1,036,600 | $113,105 | 9.2x | 143,499 |
| 50 | Walnut Creek, CA | $1,031,100 | $135,665 | 7.6x | 69,790 |
| 51 | Kirkland, WA | $1,022,500 | $143,533 | 7.1x | 91,614 |
| 52 | Fountain Valley, CA | $1,018,600 | $111,797 | 9.1x | 56,358 |
| 53 | Novato, CA | $1,007,100 | $112,193 | 9.0x | 52,689 |
| 54 | Boulder, CO | $982,600 | $85,364 | 11.5x | 106,274 |
| 55 | Gilroy, CA | $975,800 | $131,554 | 7.4x | 58,561 |
| 56 | Thousand Oaks, CA | $951,200 | $134,367 | 7.1x | 125,676 |
| 57 | Mission Viejo, CA | $946,300 | $136,071 | 7.0x | 92,415 |
| 58 | Oakland, CA | $924,700 | $97,369 | 9.5x | 438,072 |
| 59 | Seattle, WA | $912,100 | $121,984 | 7.5x | 741,440 |
| 60 | Orange, CA | $900,700 | $116,945 | 7.7x | 138,723 |
| 61 | Somerville, MA | $899,400 | $127,056 | 7.1x | 80,549 |
| 62 | Tustin, CA | $890,600 | $108,435 | 8.2x | 79,035 |
| 63 | Los Angeles, CA | $879,500 | $80,366 | 10.9x | 3,857,897 |
| 64 | Lake Forest, CA | $876,300 | $131,378 | 6.7x | 85,846 |
| 65 | Hoboken, NJ | $872,100 | $176,943 | 4.9x | 58,340 |
| 66 | Placentia, CA | $871,000 | $110,575 | 7.9x | 52,384 |
| 67 | El Dorado Hills, CA | $870,300 | $163,544 | 5.3x | 50,553 |
| 68 | Diamond Bar, CA | $867,000 | $106,602 | 8.1x | 53,750 |
| 69 | Arlington, VA | $864,800 | $140,160 | 6.2x | 235,463 |
| 70 | Aliso Viejo, CA | $863,800 | $137,970 | 6.3x | 51,320 |
| 71 | Fullerton, CA | $859,600 | $104,219 | 8.2x | 141,278 |
| 72 | San Diego, CA | $848,500 | $104,321 | 8.1x | 1,385,061 |
| 73 | Petaluma, CA | $834,900 | $109,823 | 7.6x | 59,321 |
| 74 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $834,100 | $85,428 | 9.8x | 346,323 |
| 75 | Chino Hills, CA | $830,000 | $122,600 | 6.8x | 78,024 |
| 76 | Davis, CA | $829,000 | $87,421 | 9.5x | 66,801 |
| 77 | Napa, CA | $824,500 | $102,231 | 8.1x | 78,816 |
| 78 | Glendora, CA | $820,800 | $111,915 | 7.3x | 51,350 |
| 79 | Hayward, CA | $820,700 | $113,775 | 7.2x | 159,201 |
| 80 | Westminster, CA | $820,000 | $82,686 | 9.9x | 90,147 |
| 81 | Monterey Park, CA | $818,300 | $77,605 | 10.5x | 59,639 |
| 82 | Hawthorne, CA | $813,700 | $72,719 | 11.2x | 85,933 |
| 83 | San Leandro, CA | $813,600 | $98,063 | 8.3x | 88,531 |
| 84 | Alhambra, CA | $812,700 | $85,189 | 9.5x | 81,483 |
| 85 | San Marcos, CA | $792,400 | $105,286 | 7.5x | 94,078 |
| 86 | Brentwood, CA | $791,600 | $139,567 | 5.7x | 64,609 |
| 87 | San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA | $778,700 | $100,407 | 7.8x | 109,900 |
| 88 | Hacienda Heights, CA | $778,700 | $106,620 | 7.3x | 54,956 |
| 89 | Lakewood, CA | $774,100 | $116,794 | 6.6x | 80,510 |
| 90 | Buena Park, CA | $771,900 | $108,187 | 7.1x | 83,052 |
| 91 | Anaheim, CA | $771,700 | $90,583 | 8.5x | 344,553 |
| 92 | Camarillo, CA | $766,100 | $109,390 | 7.0x | 70,244 |
| 93 | Garden Grove, CA | $765,500 | $90,166 | 8.5x | 170,603 |
| 94 | Long Beach, CA | $762,200 | $83,969 | 9.1x | 458,491 |
| 95 | Shoreline, WA | $759,400 | $113,336 | 6.7x | 59,280 |
| 96 | Concord, CA | $755,900 | $109,195 | 6.9x | 124,260 |
| 97 | Simi Valley, CA | $753,500 | $117,703 | 6.4x | 125,769 |
| 98 | Eastvale, CA | $752,000 | $161,322 | 4.7x | 70,179 |
| 99 | Whittier, CA | $751,700 | $92,374 | 8.1x | 85,925 |
| 100 | New York, NY | $751,700 | $79,713 | 9.4x | 8,516,202 |
Limited to places with at least 50,000 residents.
The ACS top-codes median household income at $250,001 and median home value at $2,000,001; a value at that cap means "at least this much."
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.
About This Ranking
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most expensive city in the US?
Among cities with at least 50,000 residents, Newport Beach, California has the highest median home value at $2,000,000+.
Why do some cities show a home value of $2,000,001?
The Census Bureau top-codes median home values at $2,000,001. A city at that figure has a true median of at least $2 million; the ACS does not report exactly how much higher.
How many of the most expensive cities are in California?
82 of the 100 most expensive US cities (with 50,000+ residents) are in California.