Vacaville vs Napa
The short version
- Vacaville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Napa area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $620,900 in Vacaville and $856,400 in Napa.
- Vacaville has more scorching days: 88 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 32.
- Vacaville is growing faster: +1.4% since 2020 vs -3.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Napa (24 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Vacaville, CA | Napa, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 103,850 | 76,562 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.4% | -3.5% |
| People per square mile | 3,477 | 4,241 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 41.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $111,126 | $105,963 |
| Median home value | $620,900 | $856,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 8.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,299 | $2,282 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.5 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 142.0 | 197.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,400 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 59% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 28.2 | 23.9 |
| Work from home | 12% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.8% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 8.2% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 38° | 59° / 40° |
| July high / low | 95° / 59° | 83° / 56° |
| Precipitation per year | 25 in | 27 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 88 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 21 | 12 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.0 | 95.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 99% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | -0.7% | -1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +14.3% | +17.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Vacaville: March to May and October. Napa: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Vacaville weather by month and Napa weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,400 in Vacaville and $84,400 in Napa. Moving from Vacaville to Napa, you would need about $77,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Vacaville and Napa
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Vacaville and Napa.
Which would you pick?
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