California mortgage calculator
Prefilled with California’s numbers, not national averages. The effective property tax rate here is 0.71% and the average homeowners premium is about $1,800 a year. Both are already in the calculator below.
California mortgage calculator
Principal and interest schedule
Tax and insurance are collected alongside the loan but are not part of it, so they are excluded here.
What California actually costs a homeowner
Proposition 13 caps assessment growth at 2% a year, so a recent buyer often pays several times what the neighbour pays on an identical house.
On the state median home value of $715,900, the property tax bill works out at roughly $5,083 a year, or $424 a month before anything else. That is below the national effective rate of 0.86% — 0.8 times the US average.
Insurance is the other half of the escrow payment. At about $1,800 a year, California sits below the national average of roughly $2,400. Together, tax and insurance add around $574 a month to the loan payment on a median-priced home here.
Why your bill will differ
The figure above is a state average, and property tax is set locally. Two houses of the same value in different counties of California can carry bills that differ by thousands. Check your county assessor before treating any estimate as final, and check whether a homestead exemption applies to you — in most states it does, and in several it is substantial.
Close to the national middle
California’s 0.71% sits near the national effective rate of 0.86%, which makes the local variation more important than the state average. County millage does more to your bill here than the state figure suggests.
The tax bill dwarfs the premium
Property tax here runs about $5,083 a year against roughly $1,800 for insurance — 2.8 times as much. That makes the assessment the number worth contesting. Most jurisdictions allow an appeal within a short window after the notice, and a successful one compounds every year you own the house.
Stepping up from the median
At $1,070,000 — about half again the California median — the annual tax becomes $7,597 and the escrow portion of the payment rises to roughly $783 a month. With 20% down at 6.5% over thirty years, the all-in payment is about $6,194.
High values change the arithmetic
The median home here is $715,900, well above the national figure. A 20% deposit is $143,180, and every tenth of a point on the rate costs about $48 a month more than it would on a median US home. Rate shopping is worth proportionally more in expensive markets.
Comparison with neighbouring states
California and its neighbours
| State | Effective rate | Median home value | Median tax bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 0.71% | $715,900 | $5,083 |
| Montana | 0.74% | $305,700 | $2,262 |
| North Carolina | 0.73% | $259,400 | $1,894 |
| Mississippi | 0.67% | $151,000 | $1,012 |
| New Mexico | 0.67% | $214,000 | $1,434 |
Effective rate is median real-estate tax paid divided by median home value. Insurance figures are broad state averages and move quickly, especially on the Gulf coast. Both are estimates for orientation, not quotes.
Tax and insurance by price in California
| Home price | Annual tax | Tax / mo | Insurance / mo | Escrow / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,065 | $89 | $150 | $239 |
| $250,000 | $1,775 | $148 | $150 | $298 |
| $350,000 | $2,485 | $207 | $150 | $357 |
| $500,000 | $3,550 | $296 | $150 | $446 |
| $750,000 | $5,325 | $444 | $150 | $594 |
Property tax at the California effective rate of 0.71%. Insurance held at the state average, which understates it on larger homes.
Guides that explain this
Written with the same engine, so every figure agrees with the calculator.
The first-time buyer's mortgage guideWhat lenders really check, how much deposit you need, every closing cost itemised, and why your payment jumps in year two.12 min read
APR vs interest rate: what actually separates themWhat separates APR from the interest rate, which fees are included, and why APR quietly flatters a loan you will not keep for its full term.8 min read
How your credit score sets your interest rateWhat a credit score is built from, how score bands translate into real rate differences and dollars, and which actions move a score quickly versus slowly.10 min read
Questions people actually ask
What is the property tax rate in California?
The effective rate is about 0.71%, measured as median real-estate tax paid divided by median home value. On the state median home value of $715,900 that is roughly $5,083 a year. Local rates vary considerably within the state.
How much is homeowners insurance in California?
The state average runs around $1,800 a year, below the national average of roughly $2,400. Premiums vary widely by construction, claims history and distance from the coast.
What is the monthly payment on a median-priced home in California?
With 20% down on the $715,900 median value at 6.5% over 30 years, principal and interest come to about $3,621 a month, plus roughly $574 for tax and insurance.