Compare ranking types
Jump between the major ranking views for California and compare how the order changes when priorities shift.
State Ranking
Best Cities in CA
These are the top cities in California based on overall MoveScore and the broader relocation trade-offs that matter when choosing where to live.
This page compares the strongest overall city options in California using a data-driven ranking model tied to affordability, safety, and livability.
Explore by moving goal
Follow stronger long-tail paths based on who is searching and what kind of move they are planning.
State-level navigation
Move between this ranking, the state hub, the broader city directory, and the rankings hub.
Data-driven ranking of Best Cities in CA based on cost, safety, and livability.
Top cities in California
Highest-ranked results based on this page’s weighting model.
#1
72
Calexico, CA scores 72/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
#2
71
Delano, CA scores 71/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
#3
71
Fresno, CA scores 71/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
More ranked cities
Continue exploring cities that score well within this ranking model.
#4
Porterville, CA scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#5
San Diego, CA scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a major U.S.…
#6
Bakersfield, CA scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with…
#7
El Centro, CA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#8
69
Clovis, CA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#9
69
Brawley, CA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#10
69
Visalia, CA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#11
Los Angeles, CA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a major U.S.…
#12
Twentynine Palms, CA scores 68/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#13
68
Menifee, CA scores 68/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#14
68
Hanford, CA scores 68/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#15
68
Madera, CA scores 68/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#16
San Jacinto, CA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#17
Jurupa Valley, CA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city…
#18
67
Beaumont, CA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#19
Roseville, CA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#20
Santa Ana, CA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city…
What makes these cities rank well
People comparing cities in California usually want a faster way to narrow the field before clicking into full city profiles. This ranking does that by surfacing cities that perform well against the weighting model used on this page.
Use the links below each city to jump into the full profile, compare related rankings, and explore other state-level pathways without starting over from scratch.
How this ranking works
The overall ranking model in California uses MoveScore as the core signal, which reflects affordability, safety, climate, infrastructure, schools, grocery access, and broader relocation trade-offs.
These pages are designed to help users compare cities faster, then click deeper into the city profiles for more detail on cost of living, safety, climate, schools, infrastructure, grocery access, and broader trade-offs.
MoveScore
Affordability
Safety
Climate
Infrastructure
Schools
Grocery Access