Riverside - CA vs San Antonio - TX: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Riverside - CA is roughly 112% more expensive than San Antonio - TX in typical home value. Homes sit on market longer in San Antonio - TX (53 days vs 31), suggesting more buyer leverage there. San Antonio - TX sees more listings with price cuts (30.4% vs 24.0%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Riverside vs San Antonio: what the numbers say

At today's 7.40% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,214 a month in principal and interest in Riverside and $1,517 in San Antonio, a gap of $1,698 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,533 in Riverside and $1,415 in San Antonio, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.3 times rent in Riverside and 1.1 times rent in San Antonio, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 19.1 years of rent in Riverside and 16.1 in San Antonio; the lower ratio in San Antonio means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -1.9% in Riverside and -4.8% in San Antonio; over just the last three months the change was +0.1% in Riverside and -0.6% in San Antonio.

Homes sell for 99.1% of list price in Riverside and 97.2% in San Antonio, after 31 and 53 days on the market, with price cuts on 24% and 30% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in San Antonio.

The number of homes for sale is down 5% on a year ago in Riverside and up 4% on a year ago in San Antonio.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-15), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.