One US city is quietly attracting Californians looking for cheaper homes and lower taxes
A major aspect of the affordability crisis that Americans are facing is the inability to buy homes. For decades, Californians looking for affordable housing have made their way east to places where taxes are lower and real estate is cheaper. Las Vegas long sat at the center of that migration story, but a smaller city near the Sierra Nevada is emerging as the new focal point.
According to data from Realtor.com, cited by Fox Business, Reno has now taken over Las Vegas as the top Nevada destination for Californians looking to buy homes. According to the analysis of housing search patterns, nearly 43% of views of online home listings in the Reno area during 2025 came from users located in the California region. The share is the highest recorded since the company began tracking in 2019. By comparison, about 25% of listings in Las Vegas were viewed by California shoppers. That figure is down from a peak of about 27% in 2023.
“The data suggests that Reno has long been popular with California home shoppers, and its popularity is continuing to grow, perhaps due to its relative affordability and lower cost of living,” Hannah Jones, a senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com, told Fox.
Reno sits close to the California border, surrounded by lakes and mountains, within driving distance of Northern California’s major population centers. For people leaving cities like San Francisco or Sacramento, it's like moving into a distant suburb.
Nevada’s tax structure also plays a role. The state has no income tax, a factor that often attracts higher-earning households leaving California. The local economy in Reno has diversified in recent years as well. Apart from casinos, major employers in the metro area include companies like Tesla and Panasonic, alongside gaming operators such as Caesars Entertainment.
Jones noted that in 2025, prospective buyers from across the Golden State accounted for a larger share of listing views than residents already living in the Reno area, making up just over 30%. The pattern is different in Las Vegas. There, homes are still primarily viewed by local residents, who accounted for roughly 38% of listing traffic.
The influx, however, is not universally welcomed by people already living in Reno. On Reddit’s r/Reno, locals describe it as a city changing faster than it can adapt. “Used to see hundreds of horses by South Meadows and Veterans,” one user wrote, before adding, “Looks like there’s now a paved road, and even more new homes going up.” One user described annual increases of 10 to 12 %. “I just have to move every couple of years,” they wrote. Others worry about younger residents being pushed out entirely. “The city doesn’t want to reduce housing costs, citizens are against more development,” one commenter wrote.
For now, the data suggests Reno’s popularity among California buyers is only growing. As more Californians search for relief from high housing costs, the “Biggest Little City” is finding itself in the middle of a much larger migration story,
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