The Best Cities to Retire in California

The 5 Best Cities to Retire in California

The top five cities on our list all stand out for being relatively close to major metros like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno and Sacramento, suggesting that retirees can still enjoy big city perks like the arts, dining and shopping without paying big city prices. 

1. Chico

Retirees hoping to save on housing should look to Chico. Located about 90 miles north of Sacramento, the city stands out for its low median rent: At $1,625 per month, it’s over $1,000 cheaper than the state median of $2,657. This, along with its relatively low percentage of cost-burdened households and low median home sale price (ninth and eighth lowest, respectively), makes Chico the most affordable city for retirees on our list. 

However, it’s worth noting that Chico has a high violent crime rate per 1,000 residents — almost double the national rate. And while Chico has a relatively low climate risk score compared with the rest of the cities on our list, it’s not immune to natural disasters. Butte County, where Chico is located, was home to the most destructive wildfire in California’s history, the Camp Fire of 2018. Potential residents should be assured that officials take the risk seriously. Following the 2018 fires, the county began a multiorganization collaboration to update its hazard mitigation plan.

2. Daly City

Located just outside San Francisco, Daly City is perfect for retirees hoping to expand their social circle. About 21% of the population of the city is 65 and over, compared with the state average of 16.5%. Daly City also stands for its Walk Score: 66, compared with California’s score of 46.

Retirees looking to buy a house may want to look elsewhere: Daly City’s median home price is a whopping $1.1 million,34% higher than the median sale price across the state. Renting comes with less sticker shock; the median monthly rent is just $1 higher than the statewide median.

3.  Clovis

High-quality healthcare is a priority for many seniors. Health-conscious retirees may want to consider Clovis, located less than 10 miles northeast of Fresno. The city has the fourth-highest number of hospitals per 100,000 seniors. It also boasts a higher-than-average number of primary care physicians per 100,000 seniors.

Another perk of Clovis for seniors is its public transit system. The city operates eight bus routes, all of which are free and wheelchair-accessible.

4. Vacaville

Vacaville, located between San Francisco and Sacramento, ranks high on our list in large part because of how safe it is. Both the violent crime and property crime rates are below both the state and nationwide rates. It’s worth noting that the city in 2006 joined an international program aimed at reducing crime at rental properties.

Additionally, Vacaville has one of the lowest climate risk scores on our list, though it’s still higher than the statewide number.

However, active seniors may want to look elsewhere: The city has one of the lowest walkability scores on our list.

5.  Thousand Oaks

Like Vacaville, Thousand Oaks is also one of the safest cities we analyzed. Located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, it has a violent crime rate of 1.01 per 1,000 residents, which is about 80% less than the statewide rate.

The city also stands out for its access to nature. Eighty-five percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a green space. And the city is serious about keeping that access safe. The Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency works to preserve and manage the city’s thousands of acres of protected open space.

---

How Does the Rest of California Compare?

Some of the most populous cities in California, including Los Angeles, Oakland and San Jose, ranked near the bottom of our list, due to their low safety and affordability scores. It’s also worth noting that though some cities performed better than others, every city in our rankings has a higher climate risk score than the statewide score.

Still not sure what California city is right for you? Explore our individual category scores to find a city that fits your priorities. 

---

Methodology

The Retirement Living Research Team identified the best cities for retirement in California by analyzing cities with populations of at least 100,000. For each category metric we examined, the top-performing city received the maximum score, while all others were scored relative to that benchmark. Category scores were then combined to calculate an overall score out of 100 points.

• Affordability (40 points): This category includes the share of cost-burdened senior households (15 points), defined as households with at least one adult 65 or older spending 30% or more of income on housing, along with median rent (February 2026) (7.5 points), median home sale price (February 2026) (7.5 points), and the senior poverty rate (10 points). Data came from Zillow (2026), Redfin (2026) and the U.S. Census Bureau (2024).
• Safety (25 points): This category is based on the violent crime rate (10 points) and property crime rate (10 points) per 1,000 residents, as well as the county’s National Risk Index score (5 points). Data came from NeighborhoodScout (2024) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2025).
• Livability (25 points): This category includes the share of residents age 65 or older (10 points), Walk Score (7.5 points), and the share of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a green space (7.5 points). Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024), Walk Score (2026), and NYU Langone Health (2024).
• Healthcare access (10 points): This category includes the number of primary care physicians per 1,000 seniors in the county (5 points) and the number of hospitals per 100,000 seniors at the county level (5 points). Data came from County Health Rankings (2022) and the California Health and Human Services Agency (2024).

---

Reference Policy

We love it when people share our findings! If you do, please link back to our original article to credit our research.

Questions?

For questions about the data or if you’d like to set up an interview, please contact [email protected].

---

Article Sources

Retirement Living writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:

1. U.S. Census Bureau, “Explore Census Data.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
2. Zillow, “Housing Data.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
3. Redfin, “Downloadable Housing Market Data From Redfin.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
4. NeighborhoodScout, “NeighborhoodScout.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
5. Federal Emergency Management Agency, “National Risk Index Data.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
6. Walk Score, “Walk Score.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
7. NYU Langone Health, “City Health Dashboard.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
8. County Health Rankings, “Primary Care Physicians.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
9. CalHHS, “2024 Hospital Annual Utilization (October 2025).” Accessed April 26, 2026.
10. Federal Emergency Management Agency, “From the Ashes of Paradise: Community Plans Forged in Wildfire.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
11. City of Clovis, “Fixed Route.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
12. City of Vacaville, “Crime Free Multi-Housing Program.” Accessed April 26, 2026.
13. City of Thousand Oaks, “Open Space.” Accessed April 26, 2026.