9 IE Cities Rank In CA's Top 20 Best Places To Live: Consumer Affairs

MURRIETA, CA — Nearly half of the top 20 California cities to live in are in the Inland Empire, according to researchers at the for-profit Consumer Affairs.

Earlier this month, Consumer Affairs released its "Best Places to Live in California for 2025." The research team analyzed the state's 75 largest cities to create rankings based on five key factors: affordability, safety, economic strength, quality of life and climate risk.

Among the top 20 cities were nine spread across Riverside and San Bernardino counties: Murrieta came in at #5, Corona at #7, Temecula at #8, Rancho Cucamonga at #9, Moreno Valley at #10, Menifee at #14, Ontario at #15, Jurupa Valley at #16, and Riverside at #17.

" ... California is a big state and still the most populous in the U.S., meaning it’s worth looking outside big-name cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco," Consumer Affairs reported as part of its April 7 rankings release.

Roseville, a Sacramento suburb, ranked the #1 best place to move to in California, "due to its strong economy, affordability and low crime rates. It also has the lowest climate risk among the state's largest cities," according to the rankings.

No cities in the Los Angeles metro made the top 25, largely due to low affordability and lower economic scores. Santa Clarita ranked highest in the L.A. metro area at #29.

Oakland ranked as the worst place to live in California due to its high crime rates and major challenges in affordability, economy and climate risk, according to the rankings.

See all the California rankings here, including the methodology used in the findings.

Despite negative media coverage about people leaving California, Consumer Affairs reported that the state attracted the third-highest number of out-of-state movers in 2023 — behind only Florida and Texas.

"California’s diverse scenery, warm weather and strong local economies still make it a popular move-in destination," according to Consumer Affairs. "However, outbound moving remains an issue, as the state’s evident housing and climate challenges contributed to a high number of planned outbound moves in 2024."