Photo: Aaron T Harris · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Clovis costs more to live in than 96% of U.S. towns
It ranks #578 of 846 in California and #344 of 400 U.S. cities over 100,000 for affordability. Up 1% in a year, 32% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Fresno, CA metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Clovis’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($74K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 24% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 53% of renters.
In dollars
- $514Ktypical home, 32% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,320a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 6.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Fresno-area income
- 29%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 53%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Clovis
What’s behind Clovis’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clovis is more affordable than 4% of U.S. towns, #578 of 846 in California. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Prices here have kept pace with California: up 14.9% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 14.9% in five years
About the same pace as California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Clovis | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $305,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $330,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $349,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $359,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $394,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $469,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $491,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $501,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $516,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $514,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $514,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Clovis home worth $299K in October 2016 is worth about $514K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.6 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 6.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Clovis’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $226K short of a typical Clovis home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,320 a month here, $760 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Clovis’s typical property tax (0.90% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,320
Renters already here pay a median of $1,792, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
588 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 588 new homes in Clovis in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $219.8 million to build. That's 4.7 per 1,000 residents, faster than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Clovis has permitted 9,190 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Clovis gained 24,493 residents while 7,738 new homes were permitted: about 3.2 new residents per new home, about the same as across California (2.7).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 466 | 208 | 258 | $114.8 million |
| 2025 | 588 | 588 | 0 | $219.8 million |
| 2024 | 664 | 649 | 15 | $262 million |
| 2023 | 701 | 701 | 0 | $279.9 million |
| 2022 | 721 | 476 | 245 | $209.4 million |
| 2021 | 1,037 | 824 | 213 | $274.6 million |
| 2020 | 1,152 | 1,049 | 103 | $332.3 million |
| 2019 | 1,142 | 760 | 382 | $264.6 million |
| 2018 | 1,107 | 892 | 215 | $268.9 million |
| 2017 | 992 | 766 | 226 | $238.3 million |
| 2016 | 1,086 | 1,086 | 0 | $301.1 million |
| 2015 | 899 | 852 | 47 | $239.3 million |
| 2014 | 604 | 604 | 0 | $158.7 million |
| 2013 | 834 | 828 | 6 | $222.7 million |
| 2012 | 367 | 367 | 0 | $88.2 million |
| 2011 | 320 | 320 | 0 | $70.4 million |
| 2010 | 387 | 387 | 0 | $86.6 million |
| 2009 | 571 | 571 | 0 | $130.3 million |
| 2008 | 409 | 393 | 16 | $91.1 million |
| 2007 | 721 | 570 | 151 | $152.8 million |
| 2006 | 736 | 685 | 51 | $164 million |
| 2005 | 1,300 | 1,300 | 0 | $326.6 million |
| 2004 | 1,868 | 1,431 | 437 | $365.5 million |
| 2003 | 1,433 | 1,379 | 54 | $298.4 million |
| 2002 | 1,312 | 1,312 | 0 | $254.7 million |
| 2001 | 1,036 | 1,036 | 0 | $198.2 million |
| 2000 | 507 | 507 | 0 | $94.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $4,348, under the California median of $5,124, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.90% a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Clovis vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Clovis has the 2nd-lowest. Tarpey Village has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clovis | D− | $514K | $483K | 0.90% | $2,320 |
| Fresno | D | $385K | $375K | 0.73% | $1,770 |
| Tarpey Village | C− | — | $346K | 0.63% | $1,660 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Clovis
Is Clovis expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clovis costs more than 96% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #578 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 6.5 years of the median household income of the Fresno, CA metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Clovis?
About $514K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.0% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Clovis?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $132,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,080 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $93,000.
How much is rent in Clovis?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,792 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Clovis?
The median bill is $4,348 a year, 0.90% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Clovis going up?
Yes: up 1.0% in the past year and 14.9% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Clovis buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.