California · 75th largest metro area

Buying a home in Oxnard, California

In Oxnard, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $652,700, Ventura County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,419 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,032 a month.

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

Oxnard home costs, fact by fact

About Oxnard

Median gross rent is $2,032 per month, and HUD's Fair Market Rent is $2,424. Owners occupy 54.4% of homes.

Reading the Oxnard figures

Oxnard shows what a middle position in California looks like. Oxnard's owners judge their homes to be worth $652,700, below the state figure of $770,700 and well below Los Angeles charted at $921,200. These are valuations reported by residents who own, not prices paid. Among Payotte's covered cities, it falls under Tracy charted at $699,000, El Cajon charted at $681,700, Temecula charted at $679,700, Richmond charted at $668,200, Roseville charted at $661,400 and Salinas charted at $654,100, and above El Monte charted at $644,000, East Los Angeles charted at $643,100, Murrieta charted at $639,800, Elk Grove charted at $630,100, Antioch charted at $629,700 and Fairfield charted at $624,300.

The rent comes to $2,032 monthly. That is lower than Tracy charted at $2,478, Murrieta charted at $2,388, Temecula charted at $2,347 and Antioch charted at $2,278, plus Fairfield charted at $2,266, Elk Grove charted at $2,262 and Roseville charted at $2,142, and higher than Salinas charted at $1,991, Richmond charted at $1,960, Los Angeles charted at $1,933, El Cajon charted at $1,856, El Monte charted at $1,736 and East Los Angeles charted at $1,494. Ownership is 54.4%, close to Richmond standing at 54.7%, and below Tracy standing at 65%, Temecula standing at 68%, Roseville standing at 68.8% and Murrieta standing at 69.5%. It is higher than Salinas standing at 47%, El Cajon standing at 41.5%, El Monte standing at 40.2% and Los Angeles standing at 36%.

The HUD table for Oxnard shows $2,424 at the smaller size and $3,287 at the larger size. Oxnard's survey rent of $2,032 lies under the first number. These numbers are not like for like, because HUD publishes a federal reference level while the survey gives a median of reported rents.

Taxes and loans follow Ventura County: a median property tax charge each year of $5,574, paired with an effective rate of 0.68%; as the county's median home is put at $822,700, which is above Oxnard's. That helps explain why the tax bill looks large while the rate stays modest. Across 4,252 loans reported in the county for 2025, a typical cost of $9,419 emerges, bracketed by $6,823 and $16,345.

Size gives more context: Oxnard has 200,616 residents and anchors its own metro area, taking 75th among all U.S. metros, with 835,427 people. Among the cities named above, it is larger than Tracy standing at 100,136, El Cajon standing at 103,291, Temecula standing at 112,431 and Richmond standing at 115,353, and close to Elk Grove standing at 182,797. Taken together, Oxnard reads as a mid-priced city whose rent is a little above the middle of the cities named and whose county tax bill is large in dollars because of the county's value, not because of its rate.

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 Oxnard

How much is property tax in Oxnard?

Homeowners in Ventura County pay a median $5,574 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $822,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Oxnard?

Home-purchase mortgages in Ventura County carried median total loan costs of $9,419 in 2025; half of the 4,252 loans fell between $6,823 and $16,345 (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 Oxnard?

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 Oxnard?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Oxnard ($652,700) equals 26.8 years of the median gross rent ($2,032 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Oxnard?

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.

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California rules that apply in Oxnard

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides