Key stat: A 4-bed, 2-1/2-bath house costs $1.8 million

California has many of the most expensive housing markets in the United States. For this survey, which measures how much a similarly sized and outfitted house would cost in various markets, Beverly Hills came out on top, just ahead of nearby Santa Monica.

The index uses as its benchmark the cost of a house measuring 2,200 square feet, with four bedrooms and two and a half baths in a middle-management neighborhood.