California · 63rd largest metro area

Buying a home in Bakersfield, California

In Bakersfield, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $371,700, Kern County's effective property tax rate is 0.88%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $10,748 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,472 a month.

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

Bakersfield home costs, fact by fact

About Bakersfield

Bakersfield, California, has a city population of 417,468 and sits in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, ranked 63rd among US metro areas. Owners occupy 60.6% of homes.

Reading the Bakersfield figures

California's median owner-estimated value is $770,700, and Bakersfield, at $371,700, lies at the bottom of the large-city range on Payotte. Visalia is a touch lower, at $371,500, and Fresno a touch higher, at $374,800. After them comes a staircase: Victorville at $385,600, Hesperia at $409,000, then San Bernardino, Stockton and Modesto in the $422,300 to $442,700 range. Lancaster, Chico, Palmdale and Clovis step up again to between $446,600 and $482,700. Rialto, at $487,900, is the highest of these neighbors apart from Los Angeles, whose $921,200 belongs to another league, so a buyer comparing Bakersfield with any of them stays far below the state yardstick. Kern County's own median value is $338,300, below the city's. Bakersfield-Delano, CA is the surrounding metro area, ranked 63rd in the country. Population adds context: Bakersfield counts 417,468 residents, fewer than Fresno's 550,105 but more than Stockton's 324,975, Modesto's 220,592 or San Bernardino's 224,775. Put plainly, a buyer who prices Bakersfield against Los Angeles sees $371,700 on one side and $921,200 on the other, while the rent gap is $1,472 against $1,933 and the owner gap 60.6% against 36%.

Rent follows the order but compresses. Bakersfield asks $1,472 a month, barely over Fresno's $1,421 and under what Chico, Visalia and San Bernardino charge: $1,488, $1,490 and $1,508. Stockton lands at $1,577; Hesperia and Victorville go to $1,590 and $1,618, and Los Angeles reaches $1,933. Palmdale, Clovis, Lancaster and Rialto ask the most among the cities listed here, apart from Los Angeles, with $1,802, $1,792, $1,764 and $1,759. Looking at HUD's Bakersfield-Delano, CA reading, a smaller home is benchmarked at $1,656 and a larger home at $2,293.

Tenure sits in the middle of the pack. The 60.6% owner share matches Victorville exactly and trails Visalia, at 61.1%, and several higher shares: Clovis has 65.4%, Palmdale and Rialto 66.2%, Hesperia 67.2%. Hesperia, the highest owner share on the list, still rents for $1,590. The city's share clears Fresno's 50.1% and Chico's 43.4%, and Los Angeles, at 36%, lies far below. Fresno and Chico show how much ownership varies where prices look alike. Owners in Kern County typically pay $2,984 a year, and the effective rate is 0.88%. The county median behind it is lower than Bakersfield's, which suggests a typical city home could face a somewhat larger bill. Loan costs weigh more than the tax bill might suggest. Closing costs on 6,466 loans in 2025 centered on $10,748, within a middle band of $6,579 to $14,552. That spread justifies asking for several quotes. Owner estimates cover homes of all ages and sizes, so the comparison with Fresno and Visalia is a ranking rather than a price list.

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 Bakersfield

How much is property tax in Bakersfield?

Homeowners in Kern County pay a median $2,984 a year in property tax, 0.88% of the county median home value of $338,300 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Bakersfield?

Home-purchase mortgages in Kern County carried median total loan costs of $10,748 in 2025; half of the 6,466 loans fell between $6,579 and $14,552 (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 Bakersfield?

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 Bakersfield?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Bakersfield ($371,700) equals 21 years of the median gross rent ($1,472 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Bakersfield?

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 Bakersfield

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides