MDC INSIDER - Market Intelligence

MyDavis California

Housing Market Analysis — Trending Since 2022

95616 — Central & West Davis 95618 — East Davis & South
95616 Median
$877K
▼ 5.0% YoY
95618 Median
$804K
▲ 0.5% YoY
95616 $/Sq Ft
$537
▲ 3.8% YoY
95618 $/Sq Ft
$499
▲ 10.0% YoY
95616 DOM
23d
▼ from 33d
95618 DOM
25d
▲ from 12d
Measure V · Village Farms · June 2, 2026 What 1,800 new homes could mean for this market
Read our analysis →
Price Trend Analysis

Monthly median home values across both Davis zip codes from 2022 through early 2026

95616 vs 95618 — Median Home Value (2022–2026)
Primary Trend
Year-Over-Year Price Change %
Growth Rate
Price Per Square Foot — Quarterly
$/Sq Ft
Market Dynamics

Inventory levels, days on market, and sales velocity reveal buyer-seller equilibrium shifts

Days on Market — Quarterly Average
Pace
Monthly Sales Volume
Transactions
Mortgage Rate Impact vs Davis Median Price
Correlation
Key Market Insights

Data-driven takeaways for buyers, sellers, and investors evaluating the Davis market

🏡
UC Davis Anchor Effect
With more than 41,000 students (a record 41,239 in fall 2024, per UC Davis) plus thousands of faculty and staff, UC Davis creates consistent baseline demand — insulating the market from broader economic swings and making Davis one of the most resilient micro-markets in the Sacramento region.
📉
Rate Lock-In Squeeze
About half of all U.S. mortgages are locked in below 4% (FHFA, end of 2025), and Davis’s frozen inventory shows the same "golden handcuff" effect — homeowners are financially disincentivized to sell, keeping active listings well below the pre-pandemic norm of 100+.
📈
95618: The Emerging Value Play
While 95616 commands a ~$73K premium, 95618 is seeing aggressive price-per-sqft gains (+10% YoY vs +3.8%). East Davis neighborhoods like Mace Ranch and Wildhorse are attracting Bay Area relocators drawn by newer housing stock and school proximity.
Annual Market Snapshot

Side-by-side comparison of core market metrics — both zip codes — year over year

Year 95616 Median 95618 Median 95616 YoY 95618 YoY Avg DOM 30-Yr Rate Est. Payment* Market
2022 $840,000 $790,000 +12.4% +11.8% 18 days 5.34% $3,640 Hot
2023 $805,000 $760,000 -4.2% -3.8% 35 days 6.81% $4,075 Cooling
2024 $852,000 $800,000 +5.8% +5.3% 28 days 6.72% $4,280 Warming
2025 $877,579 $804,000 +3.0% +0.5% 23 days 6.65% $4,440 Competitive
2026 YTD $866,000 $794,000 -4.9% -1.2% 28 days ~6.8% ~$4,560 Adjusting
Affordability Breakdown

How rising rates transformed monthly carrying costs even as prices moderated

Estimated Monthly Payment at Median Price (20% Down, 30-Yr Fixed)
Affordability
What Can You Actually Afford?

The chart above shows the median. This shows your number — move the sliders for the home you're eyeing.

MyDavis Insider · Affordability Tool

What income do you need to buy in Davis?

Move the sliders. The math updates live. Defaults reflect the current 95616 median and today's rate — change them to match the house you're actually eyeing.

Home price $877,000
Down payment 20% · $175,400
Mortgage rate (30-yr fixed) 6.8%
Property tax (effective annual) 1.10%
Income you'd need
$241,000
household, per year
All-in monthly payment
$5,630
principal, interest, tax & insurance
Cash needed up front
$197,400
down payment + ~2.5% closing
Loan amount
$701,600
financed at the rate above
$0 ↑ Davis median household: $90,045 $300K

Davis median household income ($90,045) and homeownership rate per the U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Payment estimates assume a 30-year fixed mortgage and the inputs shown above; insurance estimated at 0.35% of price annually. For informational purposes only — this is not financial advice. Talk to a licensed lender for figures specific to you.

Rent vs. Own

The majority of Davis households rent (about 56%) — here's the monthly math behind why

Monthly cost — renting vs. owning the median home
Reality Check
Median rent
~$2,500/mo
Market median rent, 2026 (RentHop / RentCafe / Zillow)
vs
Own the median home
~$5,400/mo
$877K, 20% down, ~6.8%, all-in incl. tax & insurance
=
The ownership gap
~$2,900/mo
roughly 2.2× the cost of renting

Owning builds equity that renting doesn't — but the monthly gap, on top of a six-figure down payment, is a big part of why most Davis households rent. Informational only; not financial advice.

The Family Housing Gap

Davis's new supply is studios and one-bedrooms — much of it leased by the bed to students. Whole-unit family rentals are scarce, and the prices show it.

Median asking rent by size — and how it moved this year
The Gap
Studiostudents
~$1,600
flat YoY
1 bedstudents / young pros
~$1,900
~flat YoY
2 bedroommates / couples
~$2,450
↑ ~20% YoY
3 bedfamilies
~$3,100
↑ ~20% YoY
4+ bedfamilies
~$3,500+
scarce
Student / young-professional units — plentifulFamily-sized units — scarce & rising

Over the past year, new mega-complexes added hundreds of studios and one-bedrooms — so those rents held flat or fell. Family-sized three-bedrooms, meanwhile, climbed roughly 20% (RentHop, May 2026), because almost no one builds them. And a catch the bedroom counts hide: most of Davis’s newer multi-bedroom units lease by the bed — each room is its own lease with assigned roommates — so a “4-bedroom” is student housing four students share, not a home a family can rent as one household. The true whole-unit family pool is even thinner than the listings make it look. If you’re single, you’ve never had more (or nicer) options. If you’ve got two kids, you’re competing for a shrinking pool. That is the gap Measure V claims to address.

Methodology & Data Sources

What's measured, what's compiled from MLS recaps, and what's derived — with each series' cadence

SeriesSourceTypeCadence
30-yr mortgage rateFreddie Mac / FREDMeasured · liveWeekly
Median home valueZillow ZHVI / RedfinMeasuredMonthly
Days on marketRedfin / Realtor.comMeasuredMonthly
Price per sq ftYolo County MLS recapCompiledQuarterly
Homes sold (volume)Yolo County MLS recapCompiledMonthly
Year-over-year changeDerived from median priceDerivedQuarterly
Income, rent, homeownershipU.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACSMeasuredAnnual
Asking rent by bedroomRentHop / RentCafe / Rentometer / ZillowMeasuredMonthly
Mortgage rate lock-in (% below 4%)FHFA National Mortgage DatabaseMeasuredQuarterly
MDC Insider · Opinion
The Honest Argument About Measure V

You’ve seen the numbers — now here’s what they mean for Village Farms: home values, who can actually afford to buy in Davis, and the affordability question both campaigns keep dodging.

Read the analysis →