Is Camarillo a good place to live? The short answer
For most people the answer turns on price. Camarillo scores well on the measures that can be counted: reported crime, weather, park space and access to US 101 and the train. It costs more than the state as a whole to buy or rent here, and prices have risen steadily for a decade. Four numbers sum it up:
| Measure | Camarillo figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $910,985 (up 1.7% in a year, 55.9% in ten years) | Zillow, September 2026 |
| Typical rent | $2,911 a month | Zillow observed rent, September 2026 |
| Violent crimes per 100,000 residents | 141.1 (California: 433.7) | California DOJ 2025 counts, Census population |
| Average commute | 23.0 minutes | Census ACS 2020-2024 |
Zillow's September 2026 figure is also Camarillo's highest on record in its data, so you would be buying at the peak. Redfin's median sale price for the three months to September 2026 was $833,103, up 3.2% on a year earlier, with homes taking a median 51 days to sell. Those are different measures from Zillow's, so read them separately rather than side by side.
Pros of living in Camarillo
Pro: Camarillo's reported crime is below county and state rates
The Camarillo jurisdiction reported 99 violent crimes and 769 property crimes in 2025, according to the California Department of Justice. Against the Census estimate of 70,186 residents, that is 141.1 violent and 1,095.7 property crimes per 100,000 people. The figures for Ventura County as a whole were 289.8 and 1,163.6, and for California 433.7 and 1,796.8. Our Camarillo crime data page shows the ten-year trend and how to check a single address.
Pro: a mild climate at Camarillo Airport
NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Camarillo Airport weather station put the average daily high at 68.0°F in January and 79.6°F in September, the warmest month. Average lows run from 43.8°F in December to 60.9°F in August. The station averages 12.01 inches of rain a year, almost all of it between November and March. There is little need for heavy heating, but most homes still run air conditioning on late-summer days.
Pro: a Metrolink station and US 101 through town
Camarillo's Metrolink station is at 30 Lewis Road and is served by the Ventura County Line. US 101 runs through the middle of the city, so most neighborhoods are a few minutes from an on-ramp. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey puts the average one-way commute for Camarillo residents at 23.0 minutes, and 18.6% of workers said they mostly worked from home.
Pro: 28 parks run by one district
The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District maintains 28 parks in the Camarillo area. They include Freedom Park on East Pleasant Valley Road, Bob Kildee Community Park on Temple Avenue, Calleguas Creek Park on Avenida Valencia, Camarillo Grove Park in Camarillo Springs and Las Posas Equestrian Park on Via Veneto. The same district runs the community center, aquatic center and senior center, so most recreation sign-ups go through one office.
Pro: Camarillo home values have held up
Zillow's typical value has risen 16.5% over five years and 55.9% over ten, and it reached its highest level in September 2026. That is no guarantee of future gains, but the long-run trend has been steady growth rather than a boom and bust. For a seller, Redfin's data shows 23.9% of Camarillo homes sold above list price in the three months to September 2026.
Pro: shopping and history close to home
Camarillo Premium Outlets sits at 740 East Ventura Boulevard beside the freeway, and Williams Homes, which is building in the city, describes it as having more than 160 stores. The city's site also lists the Camarillo Ranch House, which takes event reservations through the city, and the Camarillo Public Library among local attractions.
Pro: a university and an airport inside the city area
California State University Channel Islands has its campus at 1 University Drive, in the 93012 ZIP south of the city. Camarillo Airport is listed on the city's transportation pages, which link to Ventura County's airports site for flight and hangar information. The university is also a local employer.
Pro: a wide mix of housing types in Camarillo
Camarillo has older ranch houses, hillside homes, condos, a large 55+ community and new construction. Leisure Village alone has more than 2,100 single-story homes on about 400 acres, according to the Leisure Village Association. At the newer end, Lennar is selling detached homes at Cortona and Williams Homes is selling townhomes at Palmera near the Metrolink station. See new construction in Camarillo for prices.
Pro: Camarillo is still adding homes
The city's development activity list, updated in September 2026, shows 159 detached homes under construction by Lennar near Springville Drive and 285 for-sale townhomes, including 29 moderate-income units, at Pleasant Valley and Lewis Roads. A 385-unit apartment project at Camino Ruiz and Verdugo Way is marked completed. New supply gives buyers and renters more choice than in cities that have stopped building.
Cons of living in Camarillo
Con: buying in Camarillo needs a high income
At Zillow's typical value of $910,985, a 20% down payment is about $182,000. The remaining $728,788 loan at Freddie Mac's 30-year average of 7.24% (week of October 29, 2026) costs about $4,967 a month in principal and interest. Add property tax at roughly 1.1% of the price and the monthly cost is near $5,800 before insurance or HOA dues. Keeping that under 30% of gross pay needs about $232,000 a year.
Con: rents are high too
Zillow's observed rent for Camarillo was $2,911 in September 2026, up 1.3% in a year and 21.0% in five years. The Census 2020-2024 median gross rent, which includes older and cheaper leases, was $2,734. Either way, a single renter on MIT's Ventura County living wage of $65,328 a year before tax would spend about half of gross income on a typical rent.
Con: wildfire risk on the city's edges
The Mountain Fire started on November 6, 2024 near Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road in Somis. CAL FIRE's incident page records 19,904 acres burned, 243 structures destroyed and 126 damaged. Somis sits just north of Camarillo. Homes near open land can face higher insurance costs or fewer insurers. Read our guides to California wildfire zones and the FAIR Plan before you make an offer.
Con: flood zones in parts of Camarillo
The city posts FEMA's flood plain map on its planning pages, so you can see that mapped flood zones do reach into Camarillo. A lender will usually require flood insurance on a home inside a high-risk zone. The team that sells in Leisure Village notes on its website that many homes there are in a flood zone. Check every address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
Con: much of Camarillo's housing is older
Census figures show the median Camarillo home was built in 1982, and about 45% of homes date from before 1980. Older homes can need roof, plumbing, electrical or HVAC work, and some carry original windows and insulation. Budget for a full inspection and for repairs that newer cities avoid.
Con: most trips are by car
Only 133 of 32,526 Camarillo workers, about 0.4%, used public transit to get to work in the Census 2020-2024 survey. The city runs Camarillo Area Transit and a trolley, and Metrolink stops in town, but most errands and commutes are by car. If you rely on transit, check how far a home is from Lewis Road.
Con: violent crime rose in Camarillo in 2024 and 2025
Rates are low, but the direction matters. DOJ figures show violent crimes rose from 57 in 2023 to 89 in 2024 and 99 in 2025, driven mainly by aggravated assaults, which went from 39 to 75. Property crimes fell from 892 to 769 over the same two years. Small numbers swing a lot, so look at several years together.
What living in Camarillo is like
Climate in Camarillo
The Camarillo Airport station's normals show the warmest months are August and September, with average highs near 80°F and lows near 60°F. June is cooler, with an average high of 74.7°F. Rainfall averages 2.85 inches in January and 2.90 in February, while June through September each average under a quarter of an inch. Dry autumn winds raise fire risk in the hills, which is why the wildfire checks above matter.
Getting around Camarillo
Most daily travel uses US 101, Las Posas Road, Lewis Road and Pleasant Valley Road. The Metrolink station at 30 Lewis Road is a short walk from the new Palmera townhomes. Check Metrolink's Ventura County Line timetable for weekday trains toward the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles, and Camarillo Area Transit for local buses. Bike paths are mapped on the city's GIS page.
Things to do in Camarillo
Weekends here lean on parks, the outlets and the outdoors. The park district runs summer concerts, an aquatic center and adult sports leagues. Camarillo Grove Park lies in Camarillo Springs on the city's east side, and Las Posas Equestrian Park serves horse owners. Lennar notes that McGrath State Beach is less than 30 minutes from its Cortona community.
Salary needed to live in Camarillo
MIT's Living Wage Calculator for Ventura County, updated February 15, 2026, estimates what households need before tax to cover basic costs. It assumes renting, not buying.
| Household | Annual income needed before tax | Hourly wage per working adult |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult, no children | $65,328 | $31.41 |
| 1 adult, 1 child | $115,961 | $55.75 |
| 2 adults both working, no children | $85,668 | $20.59 |
| 2 adults both working, 2 children | $161,195 | $38.75 |
MIT's housing figure for a single adult is $24,099 a year, about $2,008 a month, well below Zillow's Camarillo rent of $2,911. That gap means the MIT numbers understate costs for Camarillo itself. For comparison, the Census puts Camarillo's median household income at $113,428 (2020-2024). To buy rather than rent, use the roughly $232,000 figure in the cons above. Our Camarillo cost of living page breaks down the rest of the budget.
Who's moving to and from Camarillo
Camarillo is a city where people tend to stay. In the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey, 89.0% of residents aged one and over lived in the same home a year earlier. Of those who had moved, most came from within Ventura County: 7.8% of all residents had moved from elsewhere in the county, 2.1% from another California county, 0.9% from another state and 0.2% from abroad. About 64.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
The Census does not publish where people who leave Camarillo go at the city level, so we cannot say why residents move out. Recent price data show sellers are still finding buyers: Redfin counted 191 Camarillo sales in the three months to September 2026, up 4.3% on a year earlier, while inventory rose 16.2%.
Retiring in Camarillo
Camarillo has one of Ventura County's largest age-restricted communities. Leisure Village is a guard-gated 55+ community on about 400 acres with more than 2,100 single-story homes, a golf course and more than 60 clubs, according to its homeowners' association. Its monthly dues cover water, trash, sewer, cable, internet, landscaping and exterior maintenance; ask the association for the current schedule.
The city lists a senior center and the Camarillo Council on Aging among its resident services, and the park district runs senior programs. Eligible owners who sell elsewhere in California may be able to carry their Prop 13 tax base to a Camarillo home under Prop 19; see our Prop 19 guide. For a wider view, compare Camarillo with other cities in our best places to retire in California guide.
Where to live in Camarillo
Camarillo has two residential ZIP codes, and their typical values are close: Zillow put 93010 at $913,312 and 93012 at $906,383 in September 2026. The difference shows up by home type. Redfin's three-month figures to September 2026 show a median single-family sale of $967,251 in 93010 against $819,793 in 93012, while condos were cheaper in 93010. Our Camarillo ZIP codes page explains what each covers.
- New homes: Cortona (Lennar) in 93010 and Palmera (Williams Homes) near the Metrolink station in 93012.
- 55+ living: Leisure Village in 93012.
- Condos and townhomes: see Camarillo condos.
- Schools: check scores and the district's address lookup on our Camarillo schools page.
For help weighing specific streets, our Camarillo guide covers buying and selling step by step.
Should you move to Camarillo? A checklist
- Can your household carry about $5,800 a month for the typical home, or about $2,900 for the typical rent?
- Have you checked the address on FEMA's flood map and CAL FIRE's hazard zone map, and priced insurance before making an offer?
- Will your commute work by car on US 101, or is the home close enough to the Lewis Road Metrolink station?
- If the home was built before 1980, have you budgeted for older systems?
- Have you looked at crime data for the area yourself on CrimeMapping.com?
- If you are 55 or over, have you compared Leisure Village dues and rules with a home outside an HOA?
- Have you checked school scores and the district's address lookup, rather than relying on a listing?