Porterville took the top spot. The median home value there is $325,000. Median rent is $1,358 a month.
"This survey was basically the best cities to live in, in California that were based on the cheapest, meaning housing, food prices," says Paul Salazar with American Pacific Mortgage.
Fresno ranked number two on the list, with a home median value of about $390,000. The median rent is a little higher at $1975 a month.
However, Fresno's cost of living is 22% lower than the state average.
Tulare ranked 4th, just behind Bakersfield; Visalia was sixth.
Clovis rounded out the list of cities faring well in several categories.
"Income, the housing prices, rent prices, school districts," Salazar said. "It was very nice to see Porterville, Fresno and Clovis mentioned in the top ten."
Salazar was a little surprised to see Porterville in that top spot.
"It's one of those outlying communities that you don't think about, but they're growing," he said.
Salazar adds that Valley cities will continue to grow, even becoming extensions of each other.
The online real estate website Redfin showed that several families moved into Porterville from Los Angeles and San Francisco this year.
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