California · 12th largest metro area

Buying a home in Riverside, California

In Riverside, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $584,800, 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 $1,914 a month.

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

Riverside home costs, fact by fact

About Riverside

Riverside is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, which ranks 12th among US metro areas. Owners live in 56.8% of homes, and median gross rent is $1,914 per month.

Reading the Riverside figures

Riverside is where inland California starts to price closer to the coast. Owners estimate their homes at $584,800, under the state's $770,700 and well below Los Angeles at $921,200, yet slightly above its own county's median of $557,300. A handful of covered cities price just above it. Fairfield is higher at $624,300, and so is Vacaville at $620,900. Ontario ($607,600) and Pomona ($593,800) are closer. Vallejo is nearly level at $589,500. Fontana is level too, at $586,800. Below Riverside the field thins out. Jurupa Valley reaches only $574,600 and Santa Maria $531,700. Sacramento shows $506,300, whereas Rialto, the lowest on that stretch, is at $487,900.

Rent is where Riverside surprises. At $1,914 a month it is close to Los Angeles ($1,933), even though Los Angeles homes carry far higher values. It runs higher than Pomona ($1,810), Fontana ($1,839) or Rialto ($1,759). Ontario wants $2,030, whereas Fairfield reaches $2,266. Said differently, a buyer here pays inland prices but meets rents that are nearer the coastal range. That mix is the main thing to understand before you run a rent-versus-buy comparison.

Ownership stands at 56.8% of households. Compare Sacramento directly: it is lower on value ($506,300) and on rent ($1,779), but Riverside has the higher owner share, 56.8% against 51.7%. Vallejo is almost level on value ($589,500) and sits above on rent ($2,073) with a similar owner share (57.4%). That is above Pomona, at 54%, and above Sacramento and Santa Maria, at 51.7% and 50.2%. Vallejo and Ontario are close, with 57.4% and 58%, while Fairfield, with 61.3%, sits higher. Rialto (66.2%) and Fontana (66.8%) lean harder toward ownership, as do Jurupa Valley (70.1%) and Menifee (80.2%). Los Angeles, at 36%, is far lower.

Riverside County's effective rate, 0.78%, turns a $557,300 median value into a $4,348 median bill. Because the city's estimate is a little higher than the county value, a typical bill here may sit slightly above that figure, so use the rate to test your own price.

Lending needs a closer look. Riverside County lenders charged a median $11,758 on 18,333 loans in 2025; the quartile marks were $6,492 and $17,259. The quote you receive could therefore land well below or above the median.. Across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area, HUD's rent figures run from $2,103 to $2,771, by home size. Neither is a market median, but both exceed Riverside's own median rent.

Riverside is large by this list's standards. Its 323,757 residents exceed Fontana's 218,455 and Moreno Valley's 213,919. Its 56.8% owner share sits in the middle of that group. Treat these figures as a first filter before you look at individual listings. Its metro area, which shares the name, counts 4,744,214 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 Riverside

How much is property tax in Riverside?

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 Riverside?

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 Riverside?

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 Riverside?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Riverside ($584,800) equals 25.5 years of the median gross rent ($1,914 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Riverside?

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 Riverside

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides