Photo: Stepheng3 at English Wikipedia · Public domainEven on the area’s higher pay, Forestville costs more to live in than 90% of U.S. towns
It ranks #340 of 846 in California for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 19% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area ($105K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Forestville’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($105K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 33% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 44% of renters.
In dollars
- $619Ktypical home, 19% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,470a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$105K, Santa Rosa-area income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 44%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 33%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Forestville, in brief
About half of homes sell above asking
In May, 50% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 80% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.2 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 3.2 across California: 7 listings for 6 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
Prices are 8% below their 2024 peak
The typical Forestville home peaked at $669K in May 2024 and is worth about $619K now. Across California, values are only slightly off their high. Over five years, Forestville is down 1%. Price trend ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Forestville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Forestville is more affordable than 10% of U.S. towns, #340 of 846 in California. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged California: the typical Forestville home is down 1.0% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Down 1% in five years
Slower than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Forestville | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $486,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $532,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $540,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $552,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $572,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $630,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $636,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $659,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $654,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $620,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $619,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Forestville home worth $474K in October 2016 is worth about $619K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 7.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Forestville’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $193K short of a typical Forestville home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,470 a month here, $1,090 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Forestville’s typical property tax (0.62% 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 $2,470
Renters already here pay a median of $1,833, 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 (Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the California norm
The median bill is $4,511 (California: $5,124), 0.62% of a home’s value 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+”.
Forestville and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestville | D | $619K | $730K | 0.62% | $2,470 |
Questions about the cost of living in Forestville
Is Forestville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Forestville costs more than 90% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #340 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 7.0 years of the median household income of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area ($105K).
How much does a house cost in Forestville?
About $619K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.1% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Forestville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $153,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,560 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $99,000.
How much is rent in Forestville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,833 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Forestville?
The median bill is $4,511 a year, 0.62% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Forestville going up?
Barely: up 0.1% in the past year and -1.0% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Forestville 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, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.