Bay Area Buyers Are Quietly Moving to These 10 California Cities

The typical house in San Francisco now sells for more than $2 million, and the Bay Area's single-family median hit a record of about $1.45 million. So where are Bay Area families going? Many of them are not leaving California. They are moving over the Altamont Pass and up toward Sacramento, and the jobs, campuses and rail lines are starting to follow. In this video we count down 10 California cities outside the nine Bay Area counties that make the strongest case to become the next Bay Area. We ranked them on four things: real job anchors, proof that Bay Area people are already moving in, how much new housing is planned, and whether the transit back to the Bay is actually funded and on a schedule. We also cover the risks: long commutes, heat, flood risk, slipping rail dates, and the cities where prices are falling right now. The 10 cities: 10. Merced, Merced County 9. Stockton, San Joaquin County 8. Manteca, San Joaquin County 7. Elk Grove, Sacramento County 6. Lathrop, San Joaquin County 5. Folsom, Sacramento County 4. Tracy, San Joaquin County 3. Mountain House, San Joaquin County 2. Roseville, Placer County 1. Sacramento, Sacramento County Chapters: 0:00 Why Bay Area families are moving east 2:18 #10 Merced 4:34 #9 Stockton 6:45 #8 Manteca 8:47 #7 Elk Grove 10:47 #6 Lathrop 13:08 #5 Folsom 15:22 #4 Tracy 17:23 #3 Mountain House 19:37 #2 Roseville 21:53 #1 Sacramento 24:29 Why "before 2030" and the risks to watch Which city on this list would you choose? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe for new stories every week about where California real estate is really heading. Home values are Zillow Home Value Index figures for September 2026. Population figures are from the California Department of Finance (2020 Census benchmark and January 2026 estimates). Commute and income figures are from the U.S. Census American Community Survey (2020–2024). Rail and project dates are the latest published plans and can change. This video is for information and education only. It is not financial or real estate advice. #California #RealEstate #BayArea #Sacramento #CentralValley #HousingMarket