California · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area

Buying a home in Moreno Valley, California

In Moreno Valley, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $503,700, Riverside County's effective property tax rate is 0.78%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,758 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,135 a month.

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

Moreno Valley home costs, fact by fact

About Moreno Valley

In Riverside County, the effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) in Riverside County is 0.78%, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Riverside County is $2,103. Moreno Valley is a city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (ranked 12th among U.S. metro areas), where 63.3% of homes are owner-occupied and median gross rent is $2,135 per month.

Reading the Moreno Valley figures

Reading Moreno Valley against its neighbours in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area, the first thing to note is how close the values sit. In Moreno Valley, owners reckon their homes at $503,700, well beneath the California figure of $770,700. In the group Payotte covers, that places the city just below Sacramento standing at $506,300 and Santa Maria standing at $531,700, below Menifee standing at $537,300, Jurupa Valley standing at $574,600, Riverside standing at $584,800 and Fontana standing at $586,800, and above Rialto standing at $487,900, Clovis standing at $482,700, Palmdale standing at $471,000, Chico standing at $468,100, Lancaster standing at $446,600 and Modesto standing at $442,700. Los Angeles stands at $921,200. These values come from owners' self-assessment, so they can differ from actual closings.

Rent is where Moreno Valley stands out. At $2,135 a month, it is higher than Menifee standing at $2,110, Riverside standing at $1,914, Santa Maria standing at $1,925, Fontana standing at $1,839, Palmdale standing at $1,802, Clovis standing at $1,792, Sacramento standing at $1,779, Rialto standing at $1,759 and Jurupa Valley standing at $1,741. Ownership is 63.3%, which is lower than Menifee charted at 80.2%, Jurupa Valley charted at 70.1% and Fontana charted at 66.8%, and higher than Riverside charted at 56.8%, Sacramento charted at 51.7% and Santa Maria charted at 50.2%. A city with high rent and a mid-range ownership share can look different from one with the same value and cheaper tenancy.

HUD's table for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario lists $2,103 for a smaller home, and $2,771 once the home is larger. At $2,135, the city's survey rent lands just above the first number, though a federal benchmark and a median of reported rents measure different things.

The tax and loan data point to Riverside County: an annual tax bill whose median is $4,348, an effective tax rate of 0.78%; the county's median value reads $557,300, which is above Moreno Valley's own $503,700. Lending data for 2025 cover 18,333 loans in the county; costs centre on $11,758, running between $6,492 and $17,259 across the central range. Your own loan could fall anywhere in that span.

Size and setting complete the picture. Moreno Valley has 213,919 residents, which makes it larger than Jurupa Valley charted at 108,154 and Menifee charted at 117,041, though smaller than Riverside at 323,757 and a little smaller than Fontana at 218,455. The metro area ranks 12th nationally with 4,744,214 residents. What sets Moreno Valley apart in practice are the local readings, the value of $503,700, the rent of $2,135 and the ownership share of 63.3%, and those are the ones worth weighing against the other cities named above when deciding where a particular budget goes furthest.

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 Moreno Valley

How much is property tax in Moreno Valley?

Homeowners in Riverside County pay a median $4,348 a year in property tax, 0.78% of the county median home value of $557,300 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Moreno Valley?

Home-purchase mortgages in Riverside County carried median total loan costs of $11,758 in 2025; half of the 18,333 loans fell between $6,492 and $17,259 (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 Moreno Valley?

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 Moreno Valley?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Moreno Valley ($503,700) equals 19.7 years of the median gross rent ($2,135 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Moreno Valley?

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 Moreno Valley

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides