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

Buying a home in Murrieta, California

In Murrieta, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $639,800, 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 $2,388 a month.

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

Murrieta home costs, fact by fact

About Murrieta

With 112,539 residents, Murrieta is a city in Riverside County, California. Its median gross rent is $2,388 a month, and 69.5% of homes are owner-occupied. The median home value is $639,800, an owner estimate rather than a sale price, while HUD sets the county Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom at $2,103.

Reading the Murrieta figures

Murrieta is valued well below the California figure of $770,700, but it holds a different place in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area than its price alone suggests. Owners estimate their homes at $639,800, an opinion held by owners and not a price paid. Within the cities Payotte covers, it sits just below El Monte coming in at $644,000, East Los Angeles coming in at $643,100, Oxnard coming in at $652,700, Salinas coming in at $654,100, Roseville coming in at $661,400 and Richmond coming in at $668,200, and just above Elk Grove coming in at $630,100, Antioch coming in at $629,700, Fairfield coming in at $624,300, Vacaville coming in at $620,900, Ontario coming in at $607,600 and Pomona coming in at $593,800. Los Angeles stands at $921,200.

The rent figure is the notable one. At $2,388 a month, Murrieta asks more than any other city named here: Elk Grove charges $2,262 and Antioch $2,278, whereas Fairfield and Vacaville come to $2,266 and $2,299. Lower again are Roseville with $2,142 and Oxnard with $2,032, then Ontario with $2,030 and Richmond with $1,960. Far lower are East Los Angeles with $1,494 and El Monte with $1,736. Ownership is 69.5%, close to Roseville's 68.8% and Vacaville's 67.5%, below Elk Grove's 73.8%, and well above El Monte posted at 40.2% and East Los Angeles posted at 33.5%.

In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, HUD's reference rents are $2,103 (smaller home) and $2,771 (larger home). At $2,388, the survey rent for Murrieta falls between those figures, so the benchmark for the larger home is not far off what tenants here report. Remember that HUD's number is a reference level and not a median. What the county adds is Riverside County: a county median tax bill, per year, of $4,348, plus an effective rate of 0.78%; on a county-wide median of $557,300, below Murrieta's $639,800. That gap hints that a Murrieta bill could run above the county figure, though no city-level amount is given. A look at the county's 18,333 reported loans for 2025 gives $11,758 as the median cost and $6,492 to $17,259 as the central span.

As for size, Murrieta has 112,539 residents and sits within the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area, listed 12th nationwide, with 4,744,214 people. It is smaller than Elk Grove posted at 182,797, Oxnard posted at 200,616 and Ontario posted at 185,285 within the covered list, and close in size to Richmond posted at 115,353 and East Los Angeles posted at 111,647. Of the readings on this page, the rent and the ownership share say the most about the city. A rent of $2,388 against an ownership share of 69.5% points to a market where many households own and those who rent pay more than in most of the cities named above.

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 Murrieta

How much is property tax in Murrieta?

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 Murrieta?

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 Murrieta?

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 Murrieta?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Murrieta ($639,800) equals 22.3 years of the median gross rent ($2,388 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Murrieta?

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 Murrieta

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides