California · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area

Buying a home in Anaheim, California

In Anaheim, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $831,200, Orange County's effective property tax rate is 0.66%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,436 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,175 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Anaheim home costs, fact by fact

About Anaheim

Anaheim has 344,561 residents and belongs to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, the 2nd largest in the United States. The median gross rent is $2,175 per month, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Orange County is $3,057.

Reading the Anaheim figures

Anaheim's owner-estimated value of $831,200 sits a notch above the California figure of $770,700, in a crowded middle band. Just beneath it, Ventura reads $827,300 and Simi Valley $823,800, and Garden Grove sits a little further down at $814,100. Long Beach, Concord and Downey trail at $806,600, $797,600 and $796,600. Moving up the scale, Hayward costs more, $854,400, and Fullerton and San Diego stand near $902,600 and $906,700. Los Angeles, Oakland and Orange finish the climb at $921,200, $929,900 and $945,800. Orange County's median value, $962,600, tops every one of these cities, so the county tax statistics describe a higher-priced typical home than Anaheim's.

Renting is the common choice here: only 46.2% of Anaheim households own. Orange leads that measure at 56.7%, with Hayward at 58% right alongside, then Garden Grove and Fullerton, which post 53.1% and 51.8%. Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles are lower still, with 42.3%, 41.2% and 36%. Anaheim counts 344,561 residents, more than Orange, Fullerton or Garden Grove, which range from 137,941 to 172,361, yet fewer than Long Beach (450,901) or Oakland (443,554), while Hayward sits at 158,440. Rent of $2,175 a month falls between Garden Grove ($2,012) and Fullerton ($2,194), and Orange, San Diego and Hayward all ask more, at $2,327, $2,313 and $2,391. Simi Valley pairs a similar value with a much higher rent, $2,579, and 72.9% owners, while Long Beach pairs a lower value with $1,871 and the 41.2% share. Concord and Downey fall between, with $2,274 and $1,937 in rent, which shows how little a value in this band says about whether a city leans toward owners. San Diego, with a higher value and a nearly identical owner share of 47.3%, asks $2,313. HUD's benchmark for Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA is $3,057 for a smaller home and $4,153 for a larger one, both above the survey rent. A renter quoted those figures faces a different market than the survey describes.

In Orange County, a 0.66% effective rate yields a median tax bill of $6,330 a year. That bill is calculated on the county median of $962,600, higher than Anaheim's $831,200, so an Anaheim house priced at its own median would face a slightly smaller bill. Financing adds its own cost. Across 12,159 loans in 2025, the median borrower paid $9,436 to close, with the cheaper quartile at $7,052 or less and the costlier quartile at $15,094 or more. A spread that wide makes lender quotes worth a side-by-side look. Its metro area, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, ranks 2nd nationally. Keep in mind that the values come from owners' own guesses rather than recorded sales, and that HUD's rent is a benchmark, not a market median.

Calculate for California

If you buy

California state transfer tax

California has no state transfer tax; counties and cities may charge one.

Price$770,700
State transfer taxnot computed
Who paysSet by the purchase contract

Default price: the California median value of owner-occupied homes, $770,700 (Census ACS 2025). Not computed: No state tax. The tax is set by county and city, so it cannot be computed from the state alone. Who pays: Neither the state statute nor the City of Los Angeles FAQ assigns the tax; the purchase contract and escrow instructions decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. California transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: California state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Anaheim

How much is property tax in Anaheim?

Homeowners in Orange County pay a median $6,330 a year in property tax, 0.66% of the county median home value of $962,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Anaheim?

Home-purchase mortgages in Orange County carried median total loan costs of $9,436 in 2025; half of the 12,159 loans fell between $7,052 and $15,094 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Anaheim?

California has no state transfer tax. Counties may charge $0.55 per $500 of value under the Documentary Transfer Tax Act, and cities such as Los Angeles add their own, with Measure ULA adding 4% or 5.5% on very high-priced sales.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Anaheim?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Anaheim ($831,200) equals 31.8 years of the median gross rent ($2,175 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Anaheim?

Across California, the main hazards for home insurance are earthquake, wildfire, flood and landslide, and the insurer of last resort is California FAIR Plan. A standard California homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage; insurers must offer earthquake coverage (Insurance Code 10081), and the FAIR Plan sells limited fire coverage up to $3 million for residential policyholders.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

California rules that apply in Anaheim

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides