California · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area

Buying a home in Antioch, California

In Antioch, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $629,700, Contra Costa County's effective property tax rate is 0.83%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,605 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,278 a month.

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

Antioch home costs, fact by fact

About Antioch

Antioch lies in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, and 63.6% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Antioch figures

With an owner-estimated value of $629,700, Antioch is priced under the statewide $770,700, and within the covered list it sits in a tight cluster. Salinas asks $654,100 for a typical home and Oxnard $652,700. El Monte reaches $644,000, and East Los Angeles and Murrieta follow at $643,100 and $639,800. Elk Grove, near $630,100, is almost level. Lower down come Fairfield at $624,300 and Vacaville near $620,900, then Ontario, Pomona, Vallejo and Fontana, whose values are $607,600, $593,800, $589,500 and $586,800. Los Angeles, at $921,200, belongs to another tier altogether. Every city in this group is below the state figure, which is why Antioch's rent draws attention. Contra Costa County's median value of $866,800 is well above the city's, which makes the county's tax statistics look heavy against the city's homes.

Owners lead here, with 63.6% of households. Fairfield stands a little lower, 61.3%, and Ontario lower still, 58%, whereas Vacaville, Fontana, Murrieta and Elk Grove run higher, with 67.5%, 66.8%, 69.5% and 73.8%. East Los Angeles and Los Angeles are far below, at 33.5% and 36%. Murrieta and Elk Grove, the closest value matches, both have more owners than Antioch. Rent is where Antioch stands out: $2,278 a month tops Elk Grove's $2,262 and Fairfield's $2,266, plus Ontario's $2,030; Oxnard comes to $2,032 and Salinas to $1,991. Only Vacaville with $2,299 and Murrieta with $2,388 exceed it among these neighbors. Fontana charges $1,839, Pomona $1,810 and East Los Angeles just $1,494, so renting in Antioch costs more than in the lowest-value neighbors without buying a higher value. Antioch counts 118,453 residents, close to Fairfield's 122,646 and Murrieta's 112,539, but far below Fontana's 218,455. Put plainly, Antioch pairs $629,700, $2,278 and 63.6%; Fairfield pairs $624,300, $2,266 and 61.3%. HUD's tables for Oakland-Fremont, CA give $2,805 for a smaller home, then $3,592 for a larger one; both exceed the city's own median rent.

Property tax in Contra Costa County reaches $7,156 annually at the median, which corresponds to an effective rate of 0.83%. Hold that against the 63.6% owner share when weighing a purchase against renting at $2,278. The county value is above the city's $629,700, so an Antioch home at its own median would owe less than that bill. HMDA's 2025 filings (7,395 loans) put the median closing cost at $8,605; the cheapest quartile stayed at $6,435 or below, and the priciest quartile began at $14,789. That gap means the lender chosen can matter as much as the tax rate. Nationally, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area comes in 13th. Pair the owners' estimates with real offers before treating any of these figures as a price.

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 Antioch

How much is property tax in Antioch?

Homeowners in Contra Costa County pay a median $7,156 a year in property tax, 0.83% of the county median home value of $866,800 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Antioch?

Home-purchase mortgages in Contra Costa County carried median total loan costs of $8,605 in 2025; half of the 7,395 loans fell between $6,435 and $14,789 (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 Antioch?

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 Antioch?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Antioch ($629,700) equals 23 years of the median gross rent ($2,278 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Antioch?

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 Antioch

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides