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

Buying a home in Huntington Beach, California

In Huntington Beach, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,100,000, 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 $2,510 a month.

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

Huntington Beach home costs, fact by fact

About Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, California, is a city with 193,151 residents, and it lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, ranked 2nd in the country. Orange County has an effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) of 0.66%, and 55.4% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Huntington Beach figures

Huntington Beach has a median value of $1,100,000, which is above Orange County's $962,600 and well above the state's $770,700. Carlsbad reports $1,257,000. San Jose reports $1,233,200. Irvine reports $1,191,500. Each is higher, while Costa Mesa and Daly City report values just above $1,115,000. Glendale, at $1,102,300, is almost level. Pasadena shows $1,093,300. Burbank shows $1,089,100. Torrance shows $1,074,700. Each is just below. Further down, Orange reports $945,800. Oakland reports $929,900. Los Angeles reports $921,200.

Rent is more moderate than the price suggests. The median of $2,510 is below Carlsbad's $2,808, and below San Jose's $2,669 or Irvine's $2,997, but above Costa Mesa's $2,446 and Orange's $2,327. Torrance charges $2,280, Pasadena $2,265, both lower. Burbank, Glendale, Oakland and Los Angeles all report lower rent, with Los Angeles at $1,933. HUD's benchmark covering Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine reaches $3,057 at the lower size and $4,153 at the higher, all above the city's median. It is an area benchmark, not a market median.

Huntington Beach has 55.4% owners, a useful contrast with its price neighbours. Costa Mesa has only 39.6% and Irvine 44.5%. Pasadena lands lower, with 42.5%, as do Burbank with 43.3% and Glendale with 35.2%. San Jose, with 55.8%, and Torrance, with 55%, are close. Carlsbad is higher at 62.9%, as is Daly City at 60.2%. So in a group of cities with similar values, Huntington Beach is one where owning is more common than renting.

For taxes, the county is the guide. Orange County's median bill is $6,330, which equals a 0.66% effective rate for homes the county values at $962,600. Huntington Beach's owners estimate their homes above that county median, so a typical bill in the city may be higher than $6,330. Reading the county figure that way is an inference and not a Huntington Beach measurement, and every value on this page comes from owners, not from recorded sales.

Last, lender charges. Orange County loan data for 2025 shows 12,159 loans, a median of $9,436 and a usual range of $7,052 to $15,094. Getting a written estimate early lets you compare against that range.

Torrance is a close match on ownership, with 55% owners, but it reports a lower value, $1,074,700, and lower rent, $2,280. Burbank and Pasadena, with owner shares of 43.3% and 42.5%, report values of $1,089,100 and $1,093,300, both slightly below Huntington Beach's $1,100,000.

Costa Mesa deserves its own line. Its value of $1,115,100 is close to Huntington Beach's, and its rent of $2,446 is lower, but its owner share is 39.6% against 55.4%. That contrast is the same one seen in Irvine, where rent is $2,997 and the owner share 44.5%. Huntington Beach's population of 193,151 outweighs Glendale, Pasadena and Torrance.

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 Huntington Beach

How much is property tax in Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Huntington Beach ($1,100,000) equals 36.5 years of the median gross rent ($2,510 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides