{"id":371404,"date":"2026-06-23T12:23:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/371404\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:23:11","slug":"ca-home-prices-where-to-find-affordable-housing-under-400k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/371404\/","title":{"rendered":"CA home prices: Where to find affordable housing under $400K"},"content":{"rendered":"

California home prices have climbed to yet \u201canother historic high<\/a>,\u201d according to real estate experts.<\/p>\n

This marks the second straight month<\/a> of record highs as the state\u2019s housing market sees \u201cintensifying competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statewide median home price reached $930,260 in May.<\/p>\n

That is an increase of 2.3% from April\u2019s median of $909,410 and 3.1% from $902,040 in May 2025, according to a June 17 report from the California Association of Realtors.<\/p>\n

The new figure comes just one month after California home prices<\/a> hit a record in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cHousing supply has remained constrained in recent months as the lock-in effect continued to put many would-be sellers on the sidelines, intensifying competition and placing upward pressure on home prices,\u201d Jordan Levine, the California Association of Realtors\u2019 senior vice president and chief economist, said in the report.<\/p>\n

\"raleigh A For Sale sign displayed in front of a home. Joe Raedle Joe Raedle\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

As home prices rise across California, home sales have begun to show signs of slowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia\u2019s home sales<\/a> softened in May as broader economic uncertainty continued to weigh on consumer confidence and homebuying sentiment,\u201d California Association of Realtors President Tamara Suminski said.<\/p>\n

Existing home sales totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 268,810 in May.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the market for a new home in California, here\u2019s where to find prices below the statewide median:<\/p>\n

BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> Why we did this story <\/p>\n

Our community-driven series \u2014 How to California \u2014 is here to answer your questions<\/a> about state laws, history, culture, recreation and travel in the Golden State. <\/p>\n

McClatchy\u2019s service journalism team, focused on helping our readers navigate daily life, works in communities across the state, including San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Merced, Modesto and Sacramento. <\/p>\n

Ask us your questions \u2014 big and small \u2014 by emailing howtocalifornia@mcclatchy.com<\/a> or filling out a form here. <\/a><\/p>\n

Are California mortgage rates rising or dropping?<\/p>\n

Mortgage rates in California have moved higher in recent months, even after the California Association of Realtors had projected they would stay below 6% in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to real estate experts, global instability \u2014 including tensions in the Middle East \u2014 helped push average 30-year fixed mortgage rates to 6.13% in April<\/a> and 6.63% in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, there are signs that rates could start easing.<\/p>\n

As tensions abroad have cooled, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage in California dropped<\/a> to about 6.5%, as of Monday, June 22, according to Zillow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the statewide median price typically reaches its seasonal peak in May, the recent easing of tensions in the Middle East<\/a> could bring more buyers back into the market and keep price pressures up at the start of the third quarter,\u201d Levine said.<\/p>\n

That drop in mortgage rates could offer a small boost to the housing market in the months ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent easing in mortgage rates<\/a> is an encouraging development, and if that trend continues, it could help bring more buyers and sellers back into the market and support a gradual improvement in housing conditions beginning in the third quarter,\u201d Suminski said.<\/p>\n

Where can I find the most affordable home prices in California?<\/p>\n

Despite the statewide median home price reaching a new record high of $930,260, homebuyers can still find prices as low as $280,000 in California.<\/p>\n

According to the latest report from the California Association of Realtors, the most affordable home prices in the state<\/a> can primarily be found in Northern California, where the median price for a single-family home was $399,000 in May.<\/p>\n

\"Mortgage Mortgage rates in California have moved higher in recent months, even after the California Association of Realtors had projected they would stay below 6% in 2026. Getty Images <\/p>\n

Based on the May 2026 Home Sales and Price Report<\/a> released June 17, these 10 counties had median home prices below the statewide median of $930,260:<\/p>\n

Lassen County \u2014 $280,000Tehama County \u2014 $331,000Siskiyou County \u2014 $337,500Lake County \u2014 $365,000Kings County \u2014 $378,000Tulare County \u2014 $380,700Shasta County \u2014 $385,000Glenn County \u2014 $390,000Tuolumne County \u2014 $400,000Kern County \u2014 $412,000Where do homes cost the most in California?<\/p>\n

According to the California Association of Realtors, the Bay Area boasts some of the highest housing costs<\/a> in the state.<\/p>\n

The median price for a single-family home in the Bay Area was about $1.5 million in May, with prices for homes across the region reaching as high as $2.4 million.<\/p>\n

The five counties with the highest median prices<\/a> for existing single-family homes in May were:<\/p>\n

San Mateo County \u2014 $2,401,000San Francisco County \u2014 $2,200,000Santa Clara County \u2014 $2,100,100Marin County \u2014 $1,810,000Mono County \u2014 $1,725,000What are home prices like in my California county?<\/p>\n

Find the full list of home prices by county<\/a> on the California Association of Realtors website.<\/p>\n

Have a question about life in California?<\/p>\n

How to California \u2014 a guide to help you live, work and enjoy life in the Golden State, is here to help.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll answer your questions \u2014 big and small \u2014 about state laws, history, culture, recreation and travel.<\/p>\n

Ask your questions in the form below (can\u2019t see it? Click here<\/a>) or email howtocalifornia@mcclatchy.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Angela Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n

The Modesto Bee<\/p>\n

Angela Rodriguez is a service journalism reporter for The Bee. She is a graduate of Sacramento State with a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism. During her time there, she worked on the State Hornet covering arts and entertainment.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California home prices have climbed to yet \u201canother historic high,\u201d according to real estate experts. This marks the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-371404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}