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

Buying a home in El Monte, California

In El Monte, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $644,000, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025.

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

El Monte home costs, fact by fact

About El Monte

El Monte, a city of 104,639 residents, lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the 2nd largest in the country. Just 40.2% of homes are owner-occupied, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Los Angeles County is $2,964.

Reading the El Monte figures

Begin with the owner share. In El Monte, 40.2% of households own, compared with 41.5% in El Cajon, 33.5% in East Los Angeles and 36% in Los Angeles. Further along, Salinas has 47%, while Oxnard reaches 54.4%, beside Richmond 54.7%. At the other end, Elk Grove has 73.8%, beside Murrieta 69.5%, and Temecula at 68%, beside Roseville at 68.8%. El Monte therefore belongs to the renter-heavy end of the cities named here, and that shapes how its other numbers should be read.

El Monte owners value their homes at $644,000, below the California-wide $770,700 and below Los Angeles at $921,200. The nearby values form a very tight cluster. East Los Angeles measures $643,100, beside Murrieta $639,800, while Oxnard reaches $652,700, beside Salinas $654,100; Roseville sits at $661,400, Richmond at $668,200, Temecula near $679,700, beside El Cajon at about $681,700. A little lower, Elk Grove is estimated at $630,100, beside Antioch at $629,700, while Fairfield is near $624,300, beside Vacaville about $620,900. Because the band is narrow, owner estimates alone do not separate these cities.

Rent does. The median in El Monte is $1,736, below El Cajon ($1,856) and Los Angeles ($1,933), and Richmond at $1,960, and far under Murrieta ($2,388), Temecula ($2,347) and Vacaville ($2,299). Only East Los Angeles, at $1,494, costs less in this list. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale HUD area lists $2,964 on the lower rung and $3,760 on the upper rung. A HUD Fair Market Rent is a reference level and not a statement of typical leases, so do not expect the observed rent to line up with it. The size of the gap is a reminder that listings and long-standing leases are priced differently, and that a renter weighing a purchase should ask what current asking rents are, not only what the median says.

On the ownership side, Los Angeles County reports a median property tax bill of $5,675 as a typical annual figure, which implies an effective rate of 0.68%, derived from county owners' median estimate of $834,200. The county value is higher than the El Monte estimate, so the dollar bill at the city median would be lower than the county figure. HMDA data for 2025 show 32,309 loans in the county, measured at a typical total of $11,266. Between $7,619 and $18,640 sits the central group of loans, a wide spread worth checking against any quote.

El Monte has 104,639 residents and lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, which ranks 2nd nationally with 12,927,614 people. Every value on this page is an owners' estimate, not a recorded sale price, and the comparisons use only the cities named, which are those closest in value.

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 El Monte

How much is property tax in El Monte?

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 El Monte?

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 El Monte?

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 El Monte?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in El Monte ($644,000) equals 30.9 years of the median gross rent ($1,736 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in El Monte?

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 El Monte

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides