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

Buying a home in Burbank, California

In Burbank, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,089,100, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,192 a month.

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

Burbank home costs, fact by fact

About Burbank

Burbank has 103,533 residents and lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the 2nd largest in the nation. Median gross rent is $2,192 per month, and 43.3% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Burbank figures

Burbank's owner-estimated value of $1,089,100 puts it in a tightly packed group. Pasadena is a hair above at $1,093,300, Torrance a little below at $1,074,700, and Glendale and Huntington Beach rise to $1,102,300 and $1,100,000. Daly City, Costa Mesa and Irvine fill in the upper side, at $1,115,000, $1,115,100 and $1,191,500, while Orange, Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego fall lower, with $945,800, $929,900, $921,200 and $906,700. All of them exceed the California figure of $770,700. Los Angeles County's median value, $834,200, is under the city's, meaning the county's tax statistics describe a cheaper typical home than Burbank's. Torrance and Pasadena are the closest matches, and Glendale the nearest on the upper side. In the national ranking of metro areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands 2nd. Burbank holds 103,533 residents, a smaller population than Glendale, Pasadena or Torrance, which count 187,823, 137,195 and 139,576. Put differently, Burbank rents for $2,192 against Los Angeles at $1,933, while its value runs $1,089,100 against $921,200 and its owner share 43.3% against 36%.

Rent of $2,192 a month is almost level with Glendale at $2,182, under Pasadena at $2,265, and below Torrance, Orange and Costa Mesa, which ask $2,280, $2,327 and $2,446. The lowest rents of the cities compared here belong to Los Angeles ($1,933) and Oakland ($1,979). Daly City asks $2,551 and Huntington Beach $2,510, both more than Burbank, though their values are higher too. Burbank's rent is lower than Orange's despite a value above it, so a buyer comparing the two faces nearly the same price level. The federal benchmark stands at $2,964 for a smaller home in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA, rising to $3,760 for a larger one.

Burbank's owner share, 43.3%, is close to Pasadena's 42.5% and lower than the 55% in Torrance and 56.7% in Orange, but ahead of Glendale (35.2%) and Los Angeles (36%). Huntington Beach shows that owners can lead at similar values, with a share of 55.4%, so Burbank's tenure mix is a feature of the city, not of the price band; Costa Mesa, at 39.6%, and Daly City, at 60.2%, show the same spread. Burbank therefore pairs a renter-heavy profile close to Pasadena's with a value that nearly matches it. On the tax side, Los Angeles County shows $5,675 a year at the median, or 0.68% effective. The county median beneath it is lower than Burbank's own, so a typical Burbank bill would run higher. Loan costs are the part to watch. Lenders' 2025 data show $11,266 as the median cost on 32,309 loans, running from $7,619 in the cheaper quartile to $18,640 in the costlier. A wide spread like that rewards comparing lenders. No recorded sale price sits behind these values; owners supplied them.

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 Burbank

How much is property tax in Burbank?

Homeowners in Los Angeles County pay a median $5,675 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $834,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Burbank?

Home-purchase mortgages in Los Angeles County carried median total loan costs of $11,266 in 2025; half of the 32,309 loans fell between $7,619 and $18,640 (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 Burbank?

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 Burbank?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Burbank ($1,089,100) equals 41.4 years of the median gross rent ($2,192 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Burbank?

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 Burbank

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides