Advertiser Disclosure
GOBankingRates works with many financial advertisers to showcase their products and services to our audiences. These brands compensate us to advertise their products in ads across our site. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site. We are not a comparison-tool and these offers do not represent all available deposit, investment, loan or credit products.
23 Safest and Richest California Cities To Live in 2025



Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 YearsHelping You Live Richer
Reviewed by Experts
Trusted by Millions of Readers
High-net-worth individuals might want to consider relocating to one of these 23 California cities considered to be among the safest and richest in the nation.
This data was provided via a 2025 GOBankingRates original study ranking America’s safest and richest cities to live in. We found these cities by identifying the top 1,000 cities with the highest average income and collecting additional data, such as the average home value, cost of living and property and violent crime rates. From the total list of 100 cities, 23 are based in California.
Keep reading to see which California cities made the list — and check out the 50 safest and richest U.S. cities to live in this year.
Mill Valley
- Average household income: $308,154
- Average home value: $2,111,866
- Total cost of living annually: $176,163
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 7.983
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.503
Lafayette
- Average household income: $319,744
- Average home value: $1,945,074
- Total cost of living annually: $165,358
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.459
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.804
Ross
- Average household income: $443,802
- Average home value: $3,688,053
- Total cost of living annually: $287,093
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 13.164
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.316
San Ramon
- Average household income: $235,524
- Average home value: $1,739,127
- Total cost of living annually: $151,253
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 9.390
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.413
Cupertino
- Average household income: $295,739
- Average home value: $3,251,193
- Total cost of living annually: $256,938
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.196
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.040
Kensington
- Average household income: $258,725
- Average home value: $1,487,688
- Total cost of living annually: $133,769
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 20.327
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.598
Los Altos
- Average household income: $403,512
- Average home value: $4,503,419
- Total cost of living annually: $344,681
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.376
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.901
Dublin
- Average household income: $237,655
- Average home value: $1,474,748
- Total cost of living annually: $132,533
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 16.956
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.490
Saratoga
- Average household income: $344,319
- Average home value: $4,091,202
- Total cost of living annually: $316,331
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.157
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.612
Los Gatos
- Average household income: $317,745
- Average home value: $2,748,787
- Total cost of living annually: $222,586
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.083
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.411
Pleasanton
- Average household income: $238,593
- Average home value: $1,719,032
- Total cost of living annually: $149,197
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.857
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.223
Belmont
- Average household income: $258,184
- Average home value: $2,354,466
- Total cost of living annually: $195,182
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.849
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.110
Livermore
- Average household income: $193,500
- Average home value: $1,191,837
- Total cost of living annually: $111,880
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.349
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.297
Menlo Park
- Average household income: $339,415
- Average home value: $2,941,856
- Total cost of living annually: $235,615
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.609
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.497
Morgan Hill
- Average household income: $199,024
- Average home value: $1,408,718
- Total cost of living annually: $128,900
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.980
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.482
Sunnyvale
- Average household income: $245,990
- Average home value: $2,374,138
- Total cost of living annually: $194,940
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.207
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.480
South Pasadena
- Average household income: $189,883
- Average home value: $1,801,768
- Total cost of living annually: $154,559
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 27.992
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.498
Fremont
- Average household income: $213,704
- Average home value: $1,670,291
- Total cost of living annually: $145,420
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.608
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.156
Mountain View
- Average household income: $248,416
- Average home value: $2,469,719
- Total cost of living annually: $201,733
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.439
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.538
Palo Alto
- Average household income: $308,837
- Average home value: $3,781,549
- Total cost of living annually: $293,985
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.047
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.082
Burlingame
- Average household income: $237,106
- Average home value: $2,804,966
- Total cost of living annually: $226,626
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 26.507
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.118
Milpitas
- Average household income: $208,941
- Average home value: $1,618,276
- Total cost of living annually: $142,649
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 33.863
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 3.213
Campbell
- Average household income: $206,906
- Average home value: $2,040,342
- Total cost of living annually: $172,398
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 26.556
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 3.539
Discover more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: Using the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the 1,000 cities with the highest household mean income were identified. Total population, population ages 65 and up, total households, household median income and household mean income were sourced from the Survey. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for May 2025. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and national average expenditure costs for all households were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Using data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer, the number of property crimes and violent crimes reported were sourced for each location. The property crime rate per 1,000 residents and the violent crime rate per 1,000 residents were both calculated. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and any location with a livability index below 80 was removed for this study as it represents a location with a lower quality of life. The total average cost of living was scored and weighted at 1.00, the property crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the violent crime rate per 1,000 residents was scored and weighted at 1.00, the household mean income was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Aug. 4, 2025.
Share This Article:
You May Also Like


Trump Said He'd Lower Grocery Prices on Day 1: See Where They Stand Now
September 25, 2025
6 min Read

Here's the Minimum Salary Required To Be Upper Middle Class in the 5 Richest States
August 12, 2025
6 min Read

Trump's Tariffs: How Much 5 Popular Items Have Increased in Price Since April
October 05, 2025
6 min Read

If Wealth Was Evenly Distributed Across the US, How Much Money Would Every Person Have?
September 13, 2025
6 min Read





I Asked ChatGPT How the Trump Tariffs Will Affect the Economy: Here's What It Said
September 29, 2025
6 min Read

Here's the Minimum Salary Required To Be Considered Upper Class in New York
October 04, 2025
6 min Read



Questions Around The Economy
Make your money work for you
Get the latest news on investing, money, and more with our free newsletter.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Thanks!
You're now subscribed to our newsletter.
Check your inbox for more details.



Sending you timely financial stories that you can bank on.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for the latest financial news and trending topics.
For our full Privacy Policy, click here.
Looks like you're using an adblocker
Please disable your adblocker to enjoy the optimal web experience and access the quality content you appreciate from GOBankingRates.
- AdBlock / uBlock / Brave
- Click the ad blocker extension icon to the right of the address bar
- Disable on this site
- Refresh the page
- Firefox / Edge / DuckDuckGo
- Click on the icon to the left of the address bar
- Disable Tracking Protection
- Refresh the page
- Ghostery
- Click the blue ghost icon to the right of the address bar
- Disable Ad-Blocking, Anti-Tracking, and Never-Consent
- Refresh the page