Dimensional California Municipal Bond ETF (DFCA) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with DFCA. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to DFCA
DFCA charges 0.19% annually. There are 46 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.03%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.03% | 45.70B | Aug 2015 | DFCA vs VTEB | |
| Schwab Municipal Bond ETF | 0.03% | 3.87B | Oct 2022 | DFCA vs SCMB | |
| Fidelity Systematic Municipal Bond Index ETF | 0.05% | 178.36M | Jul 2019 | DFCA vs FMUN | |
| Northern Trust Intermediate Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 144.40M | Aug 2025 | DFCA vs TAXI | |
| Northern Trust Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 94.44M | Aug 2025 | DFCA vs TAXS |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to DFCA
DFCA has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 76. There are 40 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 97.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Street My2027 Municipal Bond ETF | 97 | 9.88M | Sep 2024 | DFCA vs MYMG | |
| State Street My2026 Municipal Bond ETF | 96 | 8.74M | Sep 2024 | DFCA vs MYMF | |
| iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF | 95 | 1.38B | Mar 2015 | DFCA vs MEAR | |
| First Trust Ultra Short Duration Municipal ETF | 95 | 230.57M | Nov 2018 | DFCA vs FUMB | |
| Invesco BulletShares 2027 Municipal Bond ETF | 94 | 339.63M | Sep 2019 | DFCA vs BSMR |
Top Performing DFCA Alternatives (YTD)
DFCA is at 1.07% YTD. There are 85 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 3.96%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF | 3.96% | 30.60M | Sep 2019 | DFCA vs OVM | |
| Xtrackers Municipal Infrastructure Revenue Bond ET... | 3.71% | 138.42M | Jun 2013 | DFCA vs RVNU | |
| First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF | 3.33% | 18.90M | Sep 2016 | DFCA vs MFLX | |
| T. Rowe Price High Income Municipal ETF | 3.33% | 25.30M | Nov 2025 | DFCA vs THYM | |
| SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipa... | 2.87% | 2.93B | Apr 2011 | DFCA vs HYMB |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to DFCA
DFCA has 1.77% 1-year volatility. There are 39 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF | 0.00% | 349.85M | Mar 2018 | DFCA vs IBMM | |
| F/m Ultrashort Tax-Free Municipal ETF | 0.54% | 27.03M | Sep 2025 | DFCA vs ZMUN | |
| iShares iBonds Dec 2025 Term Muni Bond ETF | 0.71% | 348.98M | Nov 2018 | DFCA vs IBMN | |
| Allspring Ultra Short Municipal ETF | 0.73% | 30.06M | Jul 2025 | DFCA vs AUSM | |
| State Street My2026 Municipal Bond ETF | 0.75% | 8.74M | Sep 2024 | DFCA vs MYMF |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to DFCA
DFCA has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.77%. There are 33 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.22%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Trust Ultra Short Duration Municipal ETF | -0.22% | 230.57M | Nov 2018 | DFCA vs FUMB | |
| iShares iBonds Dec 2025 Term Muni Bond ETF | -0.25% | 348.98M | Nov 2018 | DFCA vs IBMN | |
| Invesco BulletShares 2026 Municipal Bond ETF | -0.33% | 294.75M | Sep 2019 | DFCA vs BSMQ | |
| State Street My2027 Municipal Bond ETF | -0.36% | 9.88M | Sep 2024 | DFCA vs MYMG | |
| Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Municipal Income ETF | -0.36% | 40.29M | Jul 2024 | DFCA vs GUMI |
Other ETFs from Dimensional
The 10 most viewed Dimensional ETFs shown here include DFUS, DFIV, DFAI and span 5 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $47B.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensional U.S. Equity Market ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 69 | 11.25% | 20.88B | Sep 2001 | DFCA vs DFUS | |
| Dimensional International Value ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 75 | 11.54% | 20.04B | Apr 1999 | DFCA vs DFIV | |
| Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF | Global Equities | 49 | 9.16% | 16.56B | Nov 2020 | DFCA vs DFAI | |
| Dimensional World Equity ETF | Global Equities | 74 | 12.61% | 1.39B | Sep 2023 | DFCA vs DFAW | |
| Dimensional U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 71 | 11.90% | 46.72B | Jun 2021 | DFCA vs DFAC | |
| Dimensional US Small Cap Value ETF | Small Cap Value Equities | 61 | 15.01% | 7.64B | Feb 2022 | DFCA vs DFSV | |
| Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 71 | 11.32% | 12.18B | Nov 2020 | DFCA vs DFAU | |
| Dimensional World ex US Core Equity 2 ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 68 | 15.23% | 12.08B | Mar 2008 | DFCA vs DFAX | |
| Dimensional U.S. Small Cap ETF | Small Cap Blend Equities | 51 | 12.81% | 14.41B | Jun 2021 | DFCA vs DFAS | |
| DFA Dimensional International Core Equity 2 ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 55 | 10.29% | 14.25B | Mar 2022 | DFCA vs DFIC |
Often Compared With DFCA
Investors most often compare DFCA with VCADX, MMCA, CALI. These 19 comparison targets span 5 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare DFCA with Any Fund or Stock
Compare DFCA with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair DFCA with funds that move differently
Dimensional California Municipal Bond ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to DFCA.
Explore DFCA Diversifiers