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

Buying a home in Ontario, California

In Ontario, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $607,600, San Bernardino County's effective property tax rate is 0.7%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,854 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,030 a month.

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

Ontario home costs, fact by fact

About Ontario

In San Bernardino County, Ontario is a city of 185,285 residents within the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, ranked 12th in the country. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in San Bernardino County is $2,103.

Reading the Ontario figures

Ontario gives a good look at how the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area compares with the rest of California. Ontario's owners reckon their homes are worth $607,600, which is below the state figure of $770,700 but above most of the cities in this group. Among the cities Payotte covers, Ontario sits above Pomona listed at $593,800, Vallejo listed at $589,500, Fontana listed at $586,800, Riverside listed at $584,800, Jurupa Valley listed at $574,600 and Menifee listed at $537,300, and below Fairfield, Murrieta, East Los Angeles and Los Angeles. Specifically, Murrieta reads $639,800 and East Los Angeles $643,100, while Vacaville reads $620,900. Fairfield, Antioch and Elk Grove stand at $624,300, $629,700 and $630,100, and Los Angeles at $921,200. Owners supplied these values themselves, and no sale price is implied.

On rent, Ontario's $2,030 a month sits below Murrieta listed at $2,388, Vacaville listed at $2,299, Antioch listed at $2,278, Fairfield listed at $2,266, Elk Grove listed at $2,262 and Menifee listed at $2,110, and above Riverside listed at $1,914, Fontana listed at $1,839, Pomona listed at $1,810 and Jurupa Valley listed at $1,741. Vallejo, at $2,073, is just above Ontario.

Ownership is 58%, lower than Elk Grove around 73.8%, Menifee around 80.2% and Murrieta around 69.5%, and higher than Pomona around 54%, Riverside around 56.8% and East Los Angeles around 33.5%.

Federal reference rents for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario come to $2,103 and $2,771, for the smaller and larger home respectively. Ontario's survey rent of $2,030 lies under the first, though a federal benchmark and a median of reported rents measure different things.

For taxes and loans, the county is San Bernardino County: an annual median of $3,538, alongside an effective rate of 0.7%; taken from county homes whose median is $505,000, a figure under Ontario's $607,600. For 2025 the county records 12,896 loans, a $11,854 median cost, and a central span between $6,762 and $16,923.

To place the city by size, Ontario has 185,285 residents. It gives its name to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area, rated 12th nationally with 4,744,214 people. Within the cities named here, it is larger than Menifee around 117,041 and Jurupa Valley around 108,154, plus Pomona around 147,966 and Murrieta around 112,539, and smaller than Fontana around 218,455 and Riverside around 323,757. The effective rate on this page is 0.7%, and the median loan cost of $11,854 is the figure for San Bernardino County lenders. Compared with Elk Grove, whose value is $630,100 and ownership reaches 73.8%, Ontario offers a lower value and a lower owner share. Compared with Pomona, at $593,800, the value is higher while the rent of $1,810 is lower. And against Antioch, at $629,700 and $2,278 a month, Ontario costs less on both counts. These contrasts show where Ontario sits within the group.

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 Ontario

How much is property tax in Ontario?

Homeowners in San Bernardino County pay a median $3,538 a year in property tax, 0.7% of the county median home value of $505,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Ontario?

Home-purchase mortgages in San Bernardino County carried median total loan costs of $11,854 in 2025; half of the 12,896 loans fell between $6,762 and $16,923 (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 Ontario?

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 Ontario?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Ontario ($607,600) equals 24.9 years of the median gross rent ($2,030 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Ontario?

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 Ontario

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides