A new hotspot has emerged for homebuyers looking to leave California, and it’s outdrawing a larger and more well-known metro area within its state in the process.
Reno is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state of Nevada and has surpassed Las Vegas, the Silver State’s largest city, as a more attractive destination for Californians looking to move, a report by Realtor.com found.
The analysis of housing data by Realtor.com found that in 2025, almost 43% of views of online listings in the Reno area came from users in California metropolitan areas, which the outlet said was the highest share in the history of the data series dating back to 2019.
By contrast, about 25% of views of Las Vegas area listings came from California metros, a decrease from a 2023 peak of 27%.
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“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,” said Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.
Jones noted that in 2025, Reno brought in more prospective homebuyers from locations throughout the state of California than shoppers from within the local market, who accounted for just over 30% of listing views.
By contrast, homes listed in Las Vegas had 38% of their views came from within the metro area and surpassed those from shoppers in California by more than 12%.
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Reno is known as “the Biggest Little City in the World” and is located near Nevada’s border with California, close to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains as well as metro areas in Northern California. Its climate is relatively mild in comparison to that of Las Vegas, which endures sizzling temperatures in the summer months.
Much like Sin City further south in Nevada, Reno is home to casinos and has a significant gambling industry. However, the region’s economy is diversified and major employers in the Reno metro area include Tesla and Panasonic as well as Caesars Entertainment.
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The median home listing price in Reno was $636,800 in February, an increase of over 11% from a year ago, according to the Realtor.com report. Median prices in Las Vegas were lower at $464,950 and were down 1.1% from the prior year amid a 23% increase in inventory.
Experts told Realtor.com that the pricing disparity was largely due to market size, with Reno being much smaller and having a more limited supply of houses. That can translate to larger increases in prices when demand rises.
Despite the disparity, Bay Area residents looking at Reno will find much cheaper houses than what they’re used to in places like San Francisco, which had a median price of $907,000, as well as San Jose with its $1.35 million median price.
Nevada also lacks a state income tax, which makes it an appealing destination for homebuyers looking to preserve more of their income. It also has become popular among high-earning Californians who could be affected by a proposed wealth tax.
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