5 Things to Know About When Moving to Vacaville

Here are a few facts about Vacaville:

• It’s the third-largest city in Solano County and sits just northeast of its larger neighbor, Fairfield.
• The city was named after an early settler, Juan Manuel Cabeza Vaca, who received a Mexican land grant in 1842.
• While the city isn’t the largest in the county, its population of more than 102,000, according to the 2020 census, is only about 20,000 short of the next two largest cities, Fairfield and Vallejo.
• Of the three cities, Vacaville is seeing the fastest growth.

Hello. I’m Randy Turner, owner of Turner Moving and Storage in Napa. As Solano movers, we’ve seen quite a bit of growth in the county over the years, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to point out some interesting facts about the city.

Vacaville is a true mid-point city

Vacaville sits between Sacramento (34 miles away) and San Francisco (55 miles away) on the I-80 corridor. This makes it popular with commuters priced out of the Bay Area. The downside is traffic, which during peak hours can be brutal, just read these Reddit threads here and here.

The cost of living is relatively affordable by California Standards

“Relatively” is doing a lot of work here.

Compared to nearby Bay Area cities, Vacaville offers noticeably lower home prices and rents. It attracts many families and first-time buyers for this reason, though prices have risen significantly over the past decade as Bay Area sprawl has pushed eastward.

Housing prices are lower than the California average of $765,036. The median home value in Vacaville is $617,924, according to Realtor.com, which is still significantly above the national average of $370,489. The median home sale price in the Vacaville housing market was $607,500 in February 2026, according to Redfin.

Summers are hot and dry

Vacaville sits in the inland valleys where summer temperatures regularly hit the mid-to-upper 90s and will occasionally top 100 degrees. Air conditioning is essentially a necessity, not a luxury.

The saving grace is that it cools down significantly at night, thanks to the Delta breeze that flows in from the Bay.

It has a solid retail and dining scene for its size

Vacaville is home to the Vacaville Premium Outlets, which draw shoppers from across the region. The city has grown enough to support a large variety of restaurants, big-box retail, and services without needing to drive to Sacramento for most everyday needs.

The community has a strong military connection

Travis Air Force Base sits just outside town and has a significant influence on the local community and economy. If you’re military or have ties to the base, you’ll find Vacaville very accommodating.