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

Buying a home in Costa Mesa, California

In Costa Mesa, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,115,100, Orange County's effective property tax rate is 0.66%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,436 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,446 a month.

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

Costa Mesa home costs, fact by fact

About Costa Mesa

Part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, which ranks 2nd among U.S. metro areas, Costa Mesa has 109,131 residents and a median gross rent of $2,446 per month. The median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,115,100, as estimated by owners and not a sale price. 39.6% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Costa Mesa figures

Costa Mesa is where the owner's estimate climbs well above the California-wide figure. Owners put their homes at $1,115,100, while the state sits at $770,700. Its closest company in value is Daly City ($1,115,000), followed by Glendale ($1,102,300), and Huntington Beach ($1,100,000). Pasadena lands at $1,093,300, Burbank at $1,089,100, while Torrance sits lower, near $1,074,700. Higher up, Irvine is estimated at $1,191,500, and San Jose at $1,233,200; Carlsbad reaches $1,257,000, and San Francisco, Fremont and Berkeley sit between $1,394,500 and $1,413,900. Los Angeles, at $921,200, is lower than every city just named.

The most distinctive feature is the ownership share. Only 39.6% of households own in Costa Mesa. That is below Irvine (44.5%), plus Burbank (43.3%), and below Pasadena as well, at 42.5%, and it is closer to San Francisco, at 38.2%, or Glendale, at 35.2%. Compare that with Carlsbad, where owners are 62.9%, Daly City, with 60.2%, or Fremont, with 60.8%. In Costa Mesa, renting is the larger share of households, which makes the rent figure especially relevant for anyone weighing a purchase. A buyer here is competing in a market where many neighbors rent, and the choice between renting and owning deserves a careful side-by-side calculation, including the loan costs below.

The median rent is $2,446. It is a little below San Francisco, where it is $2,476, and Huntington Beach, where it is $2,510, and it is clearly under Irvine ($2,997) and Fremont ($2,933), and below Carlsbad too, at $2,808. Burbank, at $2,192, and Glendale, at $2,182, cost less to rent. The Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine HUD area lists $3,057 at the smaller end, rising to $4,153 at the larger end. A benchmark of that type is not a market median, but it suggests that new leases can be priced above what long-standing tenants pay.

Orange County supplies the cost context. A typical annual property tax bill is $6,330 for the year, and an effective rate of 0.66% that applies to a countywide median value of $962,600. The rate is lower than in most counties covered in this batch, so the bill grows mainly because values are high rather than because the rate is steep. In 2025, Orange County logged 12,159 HMDA loans reaching a central total of $9,436, with the central span from $7,052 to $15,094.

For orientation, Costa Mesa has 109,131 residents and is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, the 2nd largest in the country at 12,927,614. Remember that these values reflect owners' own estimates and not sale prices, and that the county figures describe a much larger area than the city.

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 Costa Mesa

How much is property tax in Costa Mesa?

Homeowners in Orange County pay a median $6,330 a year in property tax, 0.66% of the county median home value of $962,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Costa Mesa?

Home-purchase mortgages in Orange County carried median total loan costs of $9,436 in 2025; half of the 12,159 loans fell between $7,052 and $15,094 (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 Costa Mesa?

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 Costa Mesa?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Costa Mesa ($1,115,100) equals 38 years of the median gross rent ($2,446 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Costa Mesa?

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 Costa Mesa

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides