Renting or buying: Where do Coachella Valley residents stand?

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) — Whether you're renting or buying, one thing remains consistent: The desire for affordable housing.

California ranks second in average home price, behind only Hawaii, according to a SmartAsset study.

Additionally, California ranks No. 48 when it comes to homebuyers under the age of 35. So, what does this mean?

Well, trends show renting has become a undesirable, but necessary, compromise. And with rent prices becoming more expensive than home buying, it's become more difficult for people to save for a down payment, according to Southern California Association of Governments.

Additionally, homeowner ship by inheritance in California is at an all-time high, with 18% or 60,000 of all property transfers being from inheritance in 2025, according to the California Land Title Association.

To manage high costs, an increasing number of residents are opting to live together or move in with family members rather than pay market-rate rents.

“Unfortunately, there's a lot of high percentage of families who are paying more than 30% of their income in housing,” CEO of Coachella Valley Housing Coalition Pedro Rodriguez said. “They pay 50%, sometimes 70%, which kind of takes away money that they need to live.”

To combat this, CVHC is developing affordable housing when and where they can.

“We have the multifamily development where we build apartments for farmworker families, for hardworking families,” Rodriguez said. “We have housing for seniors. We have housing for homeless veterans, housing for people with special needs... These are affordable housing developments where the families only pay 30% of their income in housing.”

For more information on CVHC, find their website here.