California · 224th largest metro area

Buying a home in Chico, California

In Chico, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $468,100, Butte County's effective property tax rate is 0.69%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $6,820 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,488 a month.

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

Chico home costs, fact by fact

About Chico

Chico is a city of 102,911 residents and the Chico, CA metro area it lies in ranks 224th nationally. Median gross rent is $1,488 per month, and 43.4% of homes are owner-occupied. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Butte County is $1,509.

Reading the Chico figures

In Chico, owners put a typical home at $468,100, well under the state's $770,700, which places the city in the lower-middle of the covered list. Santa Maria asks $531,700 and Sacramento $506,300; Moreno Valley sits at $503,700. Rialto and Clovis follow just behind, with $487,900 and $482,700. Palmdale, near $471,000, is almost level, while Lancaster, Modesto and Stockton run lower at $446,600, $442,700 and $440,900. Further down are San Bernardino, Hesperia and Victorville, valued at $422,300, $409,000 and $385,600. Los Angeles, at $921,200, plays in another league. Butte County's median value of $424,700 is under the city's, and the county's tax figures describe a cheaper typical home. For the wider region, Chico, CA takes the 224th spot among metro areas. Chico's population is 102,911; Santa Maria is a bit larger at 111,346, and Modesto and Stockton are far larger, at 220,592 and 324,975, while Hesperia is just under at 101,836. Taken together, Chico pairs a $468,100 value with a $1,488 rent and 43.4% owners; Sacramento pairs $506,300 with $1,779 and 51.7%.

Tenure is the surprise. Only 43.4% of households own in Chico, a share below that of Sacramento (51.7%) and Santa Maria (50.2%), along with San Bernardino's flat 50%. The owner-heavy end is far away: Moreno Valley reaches 63.3%; Rialto is at 66.2%, and Hesperia tops them with 67.2%. Only Los Angeles, at 36%, is lower than Chico. Stockton has 53.9% and Modesto 58.9%, which put them between Chico and the owner-heavy cities. Prices in the middle of the pack therefore come with a renter-heavy market. Rent is lower than in most of the list. Chico asks $1,488; San Bernardino is a notch above, $1,508, and Stockton higher still, $1,577. Victorville, Modesto, Lancaster and Sacramento all run higher, with $1,618, $1,690, $1,764 and $1,779, as do Santa Maria, Los Angeles and Moreno Valley, where rents are $1,925, $1,933 and $2,135. Rialto, Clovis and Palmdale also ask more, with $1,759, $1,792 and $1,802.

Victorville and Hesperia have lower values but higher rents than Chico, a reminder that value does not set rent. Federal benchmarks run higher than the survey rent: $1,509 covers a smaller home in Chico, CA, and a larger home is set at $2,090. An effective rate of 0.69% in Butte County translates into $2,951 a year for the median owner. Because the county median is lower than Chico's, a typical Chico bill would be larger. For 2025, the 1,357 loans on file show a median of $6,820 in closing costs; the lower quartile ends at $4,849, and the upper begins at $11,253. Because values are owners' estimates and not sale prices, check a few real offers before relying on any single number.

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 Chico

How much is property tax in Chico?

Homeowners in Butte County pay a median $2,951 a year in property tax, 0.69% of the county median home value of $424,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Chico?

Home-purchase mortgages in Butte County carried median total loan costs of $6,820 in 2025; half of the 1,357 loans fell between $4,849 and $11,253 (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 Chico?

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 Chico?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Chico ($468,100) equals 26.2 years of the median gross rent ($1,488 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Chico?

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 Chico

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides