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

Buying a home in Berkeley, California

In Berkeley, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,413,900, Alameda County's effective property tax rate is 0.78%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,758 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,133 a month.

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

Berkeley home costs, fact by fact

About Berkeley

Berkeley has a population of 121,749 and lies in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, ranked 13th in the country. Median gross rent is $2,133 per month, while HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Alameda County is $2,805.

Reading the Berkeley figures

Owners put Berkeley's typical home at $1,413,900, well over the statewide $770,700. Only Sunnyvale, San Mateo and Santa Clara rank higher among the covered cities, with $1,801,800, $1,618,700 and $1,582,600. Fremont and San Francisco sit just beneath, with $1,403,800 and $1,394,500; Carlsbad and San Jose follow with $1,257,000 and $1,233,200. Irvine, Costa Mesa, Daly City, Glendale and Huntington Beach cluster between $1,100,000 and $1,191,500, and Los Angeles, at $921,200, sits far down the table. Alameda County's median value, $1,090,100, is below the city's; the county's tax statistics therefore describe a cheaper typical home. Fremont, with a nearly identical value, has a much higher owner share, 60.8%, and rent of $2,933 against Berkeley's $2,133. The metro area around it (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA) holds the 13th place nationally.

Rent tells a gentler story than value. Berkeley's $2,133 a month is lower than the $2,476 in San Francisco and the $2,933 in Fremont. Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Mateo ask more again, with $3,039, $3,016 and $3,077, yet Glendale is close, at $2,182. Costa Mesa, Daly City, Huntington Beach and Carlsbad charge $2,446, $2,551, $2,510 and $2,808, so Berkeley's rent looks low for a city with its value. Only Los Angeles, at $1,933, comes in lower among the cities compared here. Set those against HUD, whose Oakland-Fremont, CA figures are $2,805 for the smaller home and $3,592 for the larger home. A renter searching current listings may find asking prices above the survey figure. Berkeley's 121,749 residents make it a mid-sized neighbor in this group of covered cities: Sunnyvale has 156,792 and Fremont 228,192; San Mateo has 103,006 and Daly City 101,418. Put plainly, Berkeley pairs a $1,413,900 value with $2,133 rent and 44.2% owners; Glendale, at $1,102,300, pairs $2,182 with only 35.2% owners.

Owners are the smaller group, at 44.2%. That resembles Sunnyvale (43.8%) and Irvine (44.5%). Fremont and Daly City have far more owners, 60.8% and 60.2%, while San Francisco, Santa Clara and Glendale have fewer, 38.2%, 40.8% and 35.2%. Costa Mesa has 39.6% owners and Huntington Beach 55.4%, so no value level fixes the tenure mix. San Mateo, with 49.9% owners, rents for $3,077, which shows that Berkeley's lower rent is not simply a product of its tenure mix. The median tax bill in Alameda County is $8,474, reflecting an effective rate of 0.78%. A home at Berkeley's median value would owe more than that headline bill, since it is calculated on a lower county median. The 2025 loan file lists 8,025 filings. Its median cost to close was $7,758, and borrowers in the middle band paid between $6,383 and $10,488. The loan figures are county-wide, not specific to Berkeley.

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 Berkeley

How much is property tax in Berkeley?

Homeowners in Alameda County pay a median $8,474 a year in property tax, 0.78% of the county median home value of $1,090,100 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Berkeley?

Home-purchase mortgages in Alameda County carried median total loan costs of $7,758 in 2025; half of the 8,025 loans fell between $6,383 and $10,488 (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 Berkeley?

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 Berkeley?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Berkeley ($1,413,900) equals 55.2 years of the median gross rent ($2,133 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Berkeley?

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 Berkeley

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides