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Median Home Price in Santa Cruz, CA

The median home value in Santa Cruz, CA is $1,360,355 as of 2026-07-31, up 4.97% from a year earlier.

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Median Home Value

$1,360,355

Year-over-Year

+4.97%

Population

61,346

Santa Cruz ranks #70 of 396 California cities tracked here by median home value, and sits 77.7% above the state's city median of $765,555. It sits in Santa Cruz County, where the county-wide median is $1,158,616.

Housing affordability in Santa Cruz

Median household income in Santa Cruz is $115,475, so the typical home value is about 11.8× annual household income. This is a simple price-to-income benchmark rather than a monthly payment estimate; it does not account for mortgage rates, down payments, taxes or insurance.

Household income comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates, table B19013 (how the affordability measure works).

Crime in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz police recorded a violent crime rate of 613 per 100,000 residents in 2024 — higher than most cities that report to the FBI. Property crime runs at 2,515 per 100,000.

Reported by the city's own police department to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program (what this covers).

Common questions about Santa Cruz

What is the average home price in Santa Cruz, CA?

People often call this an average home price, but the figure shown here is Zillow's typical home value (ZHVI), not a simple arithmetic average. In Santa Cruz, that value is $1,360,355. That's up 4.97% from a year earlier. It is about 77.7% above the typical California city tracked here.

Is Santa Cruz expensive compared to the surrounding area?

Homes in Santa Cruz are more expensive than Santa Cruz County as a whole, where the median is $1,158,616 — a difference of about 17.4%.

Is Santa Cruz affordable?

Median household income here is $115,475, so the typical home value is about 11.8× annual household income. This ratio is a broad comparison measure, not a mortgage-payment estimate.

Is Santa Cruz a safe place to live?

Santa Cruz police reported 613 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, covering a population of about 61,346. Crime rates are one input among many — they vary block to block within a city, and this figure is a citywide average.