California · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area

Buying a home in Citrus Heights, California

In Citrus Heights, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $454,600, Sacramento County's effective property tax rate is 0.73%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,223 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,827 a month.

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

Citrus Heights home costs, fact by fact

About Citrus Heights

Citrus Heights, California counts 86,909 residents and lies in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area. Sacramento County's effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) is 0.73%, and 60.7% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Citrus Heights figures

Citrus Heights has an owner-estimated median of $454,600, far below the $770,700 for California and below Los Angeles at $921,200. Rialto reports $487,900, Clovis reports $482,700, and Rancho Cordova reports $477,600, while Stockton reports $440,900 and Modesto reports $442,700. Rent of $1,827 a month sits close to Palmdale's $1,802 and Clovis's $1,792, and below HUD's Fair Market Rent of $2,201 for Sacramento County, whose larger-unit benchmark is $2,887. HUD's figure is a benchmark, not a market median. Owners hold 60.7% of homes, a share above Chico at 43.4% and below Hesperia at 67.2%. The tax collector in Sacramento County takes $3,921 from a home worth $534,200, which gives 0.73%, and a buyer in Citrus Heights would be taxed on a lower base than the county typical. Lenders originated 11,727 mortgages in 2025, with typical up-front loan expenses of $7,223 and a central band from $4,884 to $12,933, a wide range. Indio reports $458,400 and Lancaster reports $446,600, so many covered California cities sit within a narrow band of Citrus Heights. San Bernardino reports $422,300 with rent of $1,508, and Victorville reports $385,600 with rent of $1,618. Chico reports rent of $1,488, below Citrus Heights. Across 104 covered cities in the state, the median here is among the lower ones, and it lies in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, which holds 2,463,127 residents and ranks 27th nationally. Citrus Heights itself counts 86,909 residents.

Rent set against value gives a second reading. Citrus Heights pairs $1,827 with $454,600, while Rancho Cordova pairs $1,787 with $477,600, Clovis pairs $1,792 with $482,700, and Lancaster pairs $1,764 with $446,600. Modesto reports $1,690 against $442,700, and Stockton reports $1,577 against $440,900. Rialto reports an owner share of 66.2%, Palmdale reports 66.2%, and Indio reports 67.1%, all above Citrus Heights at 60.7%. Hesperia reports a value of $409,000 and rent of $1,590, and San Bernardino reports an owner share of 50%. The county's typical home is worth $534,200, above the Citrus Heights median, so the 0.73% rate applied to the city's own median would give a lower bill than the $3,921 suggests. HUD's benchmark of $2,201 is above Citrus Heights' rent of $1,827, and Los Angeles, at an owner share of 36%, shows the opposite end of the state. Chico reports an owner share of 43.4% and Los Angeles reports 36%, both far below Citrus Heights. Lancaster reports 60.4% and Modesto 58.9%, close to Citrus Heights, while Stockton reports 53.9%. Indio reports rent of $1,437, and Victorville reports an owner share of 60.6%. Seen against the state figure of $770,700, every city named here sits far below, which suggests that Citrus Heights belongs to the lower-value end of the covered California cities rather than to its middle.

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 Citrus Heights

How much is property tax in Citrus Heights?

Homeowners in Sacramento County pay a median $3,921 a year in property tax, 0.73% of the county median home value of $534,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Citrus Heights?

Home-purchase mortgages in Sacramento County carried median total loan costs of $7,223 in 2025; half of the 11,727 loans fell between $4,884 and $12,933 (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 Citrus Heights?

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 Citrus Heights?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Citrus Heights ($454,600) equals 20.7 years of the median gross rent ($1,827 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Citrus Heights?

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 Citrus Heights

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides