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

Buying a home in Pomona, California

In Pomona, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $593,800, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,810 a month.

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

Pomona home costs, fact by fact

About Pomona

Part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, Pomona in California sits in a region of 12,927,614 residents, ranked 2nd among U.S. metro areas.

Reading the Pomona figures

Pomona is a useful city for seeing how much the county line matters. Its $593,800 median owner estimate is below the California figure of $770,700 and far under Los Angeles at $921,200. Against the cities closest in value, it lands mid-pack. Murrieta tops it at $639,800, and Elk Grove sits at $630,100. Antioch, listed at $629,700, and Fairfield, listed at $624,300, are higher as well. Vacaville reaches $620,900. Ontario reaches $607,600. Below Pomona, Vallejo posts $589,500 while Fontana posts $586,800. Riverside reaches $584,800 and Jurupa Valley $574,600. Menifee drops to $537,300, and Santa Maria ends the group at $531,700.

Rent and ownership tell a slightly different story. Pomona's $1,810 a month is lower than what Fontana asks, $1,839, or Riverside, $1,914. Santa Maria asks $1,925, which is only slightly more. Los Angeles asks $1,933. Ontario asks $2,030, and Vallejo comes in at $2,073. Only Jurupa Valley, at $1,741, rents for less. Set Pomona beside Murrieta, where rent is $2,388, or Elk Grove, where it is $2,262, and the contrast sharpens. Owners hold 54% of households. Pomona's 54% sits in the same band as Santa Maria's 50.2% and Riverside's 56.8%. Vallejo, at 57.4%, is similar. Several neighbours lean harder toward ownership. Fontana reports 66.8%, Murrieta 69.5%, Jurupa Valley 70.1%, while Elk Grove reaches 73.8% and Menifee 80.2%. Los Angeles, at 36%, sits far lower.

Costs of owning follow the county. Los Angeles County's median value is $834,200, higher than Pomona's own estimate, so the county's $5,675 median tax bill, at an effective rate of 0.68%, probably overstates what a typical Pomona home would pay. Use the rate rather than the dollar amount when you estimate a purchase here.

Pomona also shows how value and tenure can move apart. The $593,800 estimate puts it below the state line, yet its 54% owner share looks like Riverside's or Vallejo's. Together those readings place it among cities where entry prices are lower while ownership is already common, which is the pattern a buyer should check first. Lender charges tell a quieter part of the story. Over 32,309 loans in 2025, the county's median total was $11,266, while borrowers in the middle of the pack paid between $7,619 and $18,640. On a lower-priced home, that range takes a bigger bite out of the cash available at closing, so ask lenders to itemise fees early.

For the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area, HUD sets benchmark rents of $2,964 and $3,760, depending on home size. Both sit well above Pomona's median rent, a reminder that a benchmark describes a wide metro area rather than this city. Pomona has 147,966 residents and lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, home to 12,927,614 people.

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 Pomona

How much is property tax in Pomona?

Homeowners in Los Angeles County pay a median $5,675 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $834,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Pomona?

Home-purchase mortgages in Los Angeles County carried median total loan costs of $11,266 in 2025; half of the 32,309 loans fell between $7,619 and $18,640 (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 Pomona?

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 Pomona?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Pomona ($593,800) equals 27.3 years of the median gross rent ($1,810 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Pomona?

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 Pomona

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides