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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Santa Cruz, CA Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q4 2023. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

Santa Cruz, CA Housing Market Trends

With a population of 61,800, 21,594 total housing units (homes and apartments), and a median house value of $1,329,800, Santa Cruz house prices are not only among the most expensive in California, Santa Cruz real estate also is some of the most expensive in all of America.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Santa Cruz, accounting for 55.59% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Santa Cruz include large apartment complexes or high rise apartments ( 21.22%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 11.69%), and a few row houses and other attached homes ( 9.30%).

People in Santa Cruz primarily live in small (one, two or no bedroom) single-family detached homes. Santa Cruz has a mixture of owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing.

There is a lot of housing in Santa Cruz built from 1970 to 1999 so parts of town may have that "Brady Bunch" look of homes popular in the '70s and early '80s, although some of these houses were built up through the early '90s as well. There is also a lot of housing in Santa Cruz built between 1940-1969 ( 30.85%). A lesser amount of the housing stock also hails from before 1939 ( 18.74%). There's also some housing in Santa Cruz built between 2000 and later ( 13.02%).

Santa Cruz Home Appreciation Rates

Appreciation rates for homes in Santa Cruz have been tracking above average for the last ten years, according to NeighborhoodScout data. The cumulative appreciation rate over the ten years has been 100.37%, which ranks in the top 30% nationwide. This equates to an annual average Santa Cruz house appreciation rate of 7.20%.

Over the last year, Santa Cruz appreciation rates have trailed the rest of the nation. In the last twelve months, Santa Cruz's appreciation rate has been 1.19%, which is lower than appreciation rates in most communities in America. In the latest quarter, NeighborhoodScout's data show that house appreciation rates in Santa Cruz were at -3.86%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of -14.56%.

Notably, Santa Cruz's appreciation rate in the latest quarter is one of the lowest in America.

Relative to California, our data show that Santa Cruz's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 60% of the other cities and towns in California.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within Santa Cruz differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Santa Cruz - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best Santa Cruz real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$1,329,800

Santa Cruz, CA Home Prices
> $1,270,000
$952,001 - $1,270,000
$635,001 - $952,000
$508,001 - $635,000
$381,001 - $508,000
$254,001 - $381,000
$127,001 - $254,000
$64,001 - $127,000
$0 - $64,000
52.9%
52.9%
23.4%
23.4%
15.4%
15.4%
1.8%
1.8%
1.2%
1.2%
1.3%
1.3%
2.2%
2.2%
0.1%
0.1%
1.6%
1.6%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
Very High

for California

Very High

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

21,594

Santa Cruz Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$4,671 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
39.3%
39.3%
60.7%
60.7%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
9.1%
9.1%
90.9%
90.9%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
13.0%
13.0%
37.4%
37.4%
30.9%
30.9%
18.7%
18.7%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
55.6%
55.6%
9.3%
9.3%
11.7%
11.7%
21.2%
21.2%
2.0%
2.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
9.3%
9.3%
18.6%
18.6%
31.6%
31.6%
27.0%
27.0%
10.8%
10.8%
2.6%
2.6%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes