Davis stands apart from its neighbors this summer, posting a 6.1% year-over-year decline in its median sale price even as the other three cities held steady or gained ground, according to Redfin data for the three months ending August 2026. The region’s most expensive market at $821,956, Davis saw its median fall from $875,000 a year earlier — the only substantial price drop among the four cities — while sales activity climbed across the board and homes changed hands faster than they did last summer.

Prices: Davis falls as Winters climbs

The four cities span a wide price range. Davis remains the most expensive at $821,956, followed by Winters at $638,328, Woodland at $560,129 and West Sacramento at $530,149, the region’s most affordable market.

Direction varied sharply. Davis fell 6.1% from $875,000 a year ago, the steepest decline in the group. West Sacramento edged down 1.9% from $540,500. In contrast, Woodland rose 2.8% from $545,000, and Winters posted the region’s largest gain at 7.3%, climbing from $595,000.

Winters’ figures warrant caution. With just 18 homes sold in the three-month period — down from 20 a year ago — the city’s small sample size can produce outsized percentage swings that would be muted in a larger market. The same caveat applies to its other metrics.

Sales and speed: buyers turned out

Sales activity rose in three of the four cities. West Sacramento led with a 36.9% year-over-year increase, from 84 homes sold to 115. Woodland followed with a 17.5% gain, from 120 to 141, and Davis rose 10.2%, from 108 to 119. Winters was the exception, with sales down 10.0%, from 20 to 18 — again a figure shaped by its small volume.

Homes also sold faster in most of the region. Woodland recorded the quickest pace among the larger markets at 19 median days on market, down from 23 a year ago. Winters posted 17 days, down sharply from 56 a year earlier, though that comparison rests on a handful of sales. West Sacramento improved slightly to 26 days from 27, and Davis was essentially flat at 27 days versus 28 a year ago.

Competition: Winters and Woodland tilt toward sellers

Measures of buyer competition point to Winters as the most seller-favorable market, with 50.0% of homes selling above list price and a sale-to-list ratio of 100.1% — the only city in the group where the typical home sold above asking. Woodland followed, with 31.4% of homes selling above list and a sale-to-list ratio of 98.7%.

West Sacramento saw 26.8% of homes sell above list at a 98.5% sale-to-list ratio. Davis, despite its high prices, had the lowest share selling above list at 22.4%, though its 99.6% sale-to-list ratio was the highest among the three larger cities, indicating sellers there still captured close to their asking prices.

Inventory was deepest in Davis at 253 active listings, followed by Woodland at 214 and West Sacramento at 208. Winters had 46 active listings, consistent with its smaller market.

Rents: Davis leads, West Sacramento lags

Davis is the most expensive city to rent, with a median rent of $2,529 per month as of August 31, according to Zillow. Winters is close behind at $2,522, followed by Woodland at $2,329. West Sacramento is the most affordable at $2,263 per month.

Rent increases were modest across the region. Woodland saw the largest year-over-year gain at 3.4%, rising from $2,253. Davis rose 3.3%, from $2,448, and West Sacramento posted the smallest increase at 2.2%, from $2,213. A year-ago figure was not available for Winters, so no annual change can be stated for that city.

The relationship between rents and home prices varies meaningfully across the four cities. In Davis, the region’s priciest market for both buying and renting, rents are the highest but its home prices are far and away the steepest — the median sale price of $821,956 is roughly 45% above West Sacramento’s. That gap suggests renting occupies a larger share of the cost spectrum in the lower-priced cities. West Sacramento, the cheapest place to both buy and rent, and Woodland, where the $560,129 median price sits closer to the regional middle, both pair moderate home prices with rents near the bottom of the range. Winters is notable for a rent ($2,522) nearly matching Davis’s despite a median sale price roughly $184,000 lower, though its limited sales and rental data make direct comparison less reliable.

National backdrop

Borrowing costs edged higher over the reporting period. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.67% in August 2026, up from 6.54% in July and 6.59% a year earlier, according to Freddie Mac data compiled by the Federal Reserve. The 15-year fixed rate averaged 5.97% in August, up from 5.91% in July and 5.71% a year ago.

Nationally, home prices continued to rise. The S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index was higher in its latest reading than a year earlier, a broader upward trend that contrasts with the price declines recorded locally in Davis and West Sacramento over the reporting period.

The bottom line

The summer’s data shows a region where buyers were active — sales rose in three of four cities — but where price direction diverged. Davis, the most expensive market, was the only city with a substantial price decline, even as it drew more buyers than a year ago. West Sacramento remained the most affordable for both buying and renting, while Winters showed the region’s most competitive conditions, with the caveat that its small sales volume can amplify percentage swings in either direction.