The Cost of Raising Kids in the 10 Safest California Suburbs

Nobody sets out to raise a family wanting anything less than the best for their children, and this means living in an area where you feel safe, even if you know deep down that there’s no place on earth, and certainly not in the U.S., where there is 0% chance of being the victim of crime.

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If you live or are thinking about living in California and have or will soon have kids, you may be wondering which are the safest suburbs in the state. And from there, you may be wondering, “Can we afford to live in any of them?”

Based on suburbs that have the lowest amount of property crime and violent crime rates per 1,000 residents, according to 2023 FBI data, GOBankingRates analyzed places in California to find the cost of living for a family of four in the safest suburbs in California.

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10. Mill Valley

• Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley  

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 7.98

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.50

• Average value of a single-family home: $2,061,525

• Total cost of living annually: $181,178  

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9. Saratoga

• Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 6.16

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.61

• Average value of a single-family home: $4,183,370

• Total cost of living annually: $330,203  

8. Yountville

• Metro area: Napa

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 3.31

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.90

• Average value of a single-family home: $1,480,649

• Total cost of living annually: $143,256   

7. Villa Park

• Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 7.39

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.35

• Average value of a single-family home: $2,258,436

• Total cost of living annually: $196,713 

6. Rolling Hills

• Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 4.85

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.61

• Average value of a single-family home: $3,171,641

• Total cost of living annually: $266,720

5. Laguna Woods

• Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 5.42

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.53

• Average value of a single-family home: $491,821

• Total cost of living annually: $66,164  

4. Hughson

• Metro area: Modesto  

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 5.35

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.38

• Average value of a single-family home: $545,903

• Total cost of living annually: $75,283  

3. Rancho Santa Margarita

• Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 4.33

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.48

• Average value of a single-family home: $1,195,411

• Total cost of living annually: $119,057

2. Wheatland

• Metro area: Yuba City

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 6.01

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.26

• Average value of a single-family home: $448,238

• Total cost of living annually: $70,032 

1. Hidden Hills

• Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

• Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 2.38

• Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.60

• Average value of a single-family home: $4,898,825

• Total cost of living annually: $387,952   

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed places in California to find the cost of living for a family of four in the safest suburbs. A suburb qualifies as a place within a metro area but is not listed in the name of the metro area. It also has to have a total population under 300,000. For each location a number of factors were found including; total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income all sourced from the U.S. Census’s 2023 5-year American Community Survey. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs for a family of four, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for a married couple with children (oldest 6-17), the average expenditure cost can be calculated for each location. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index from March 2025, and by assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated. Using the average mortgage and expenditures, the total cost of living can be calculated for each location. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and included as supplemental information. To determine the safest locations, property crime data and violent crime data was sourced from the FBI’s 2023 Crime in the U.S. Using the population and crime data, the property crime rate per 1000 residents and violent crime rate per 1000 residents can be calculated. The property crime rate and violent crime rate were both scored and summed to show the safest suburbs in California. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 23, 2025.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Cost of Raising Kids in the 10 Safest California Suburbs