California · 27th largest metro area

Buying a home in Sacramento, California

In Sacramento, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $506,300, Sacramento County's effective property tax rate is 0.73%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,223 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,779 a month.

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

Sacramento home costs, fact by fact

About Sacramento

Sacramento has a city population of 535,798 and forms part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area. Owners live in 51.7% of homes.

Reading the Sacramento figures

Sacramento's $506,300 median value is well below the California median of $770,700. Its $1,779 rent sits close to Rialto's $1,759 and Clovis's $1,792. Riverside ($584,800) brackets it from above and Moreno Valley ($503,700) from below. Palmdale's $1,802 and Chico's $1,488 show how wide rents run among these neighbours. Owners are 51.7% of households, a lower share than Riverside (56.8%) or Rialto (66.2%), but higher than Chico (43.4%) or Los Angeles (36%).

The 10 community plan areas, which Payotte treats as 10 sectors, carry the real range. Central City reaches $745,000, and East Sacramento, Land Park and Pocket follow with $697,000, $682,000 and $637,000. North Natomas stands at $597,000, while Arden Arcade reads $526,000, then South Natomas $464,000. At the bottom, Fruitridge/Broadway reads $408,000, South Area $406,000, North Sacramento $373,000. Tenure splits just as sharply: Central City has only 18.1% owners, while Land Park reaches 66.1%, then East Sacramento 64.5%. North Natomas shows 59.8% owners and Pocket 56.3%, while Arden Arcade shows 45.2% and South Natomas 49.2%.

Age of housing separates the sectors too. North Natomas is the newest, with a median construction year of 2005 and 3.3% of homes built before 1980. South Natomas follows with 1986 and 24.7%. East Sacramento (88.4% built before 1980) and Land Park (87.2%) are the oldest, with median years of 1955 and 1950. Arden Arcade comes next, 73.9% before 1980, median year 1968.

The sector table is the strongest reason to look beyond the $506,300 city median. Rent does not follow the price map neatly. Central City asks $1,600 even though its value is the highest, while South Area asks $1,690 at a much lower value and North Natomas asks $2,120. A buyer comparing sectors should read value, rent and tenure together.

The county supplies the tax and lending numbers. Sacramento County taxes at 0.73% effective; the median bill is $3,921 and the median value $534,200. Lender charges: median $7,223 on 11,727 loans in 2025, bounded in the middle by $4,884 and $12,933. HUD's rent benchmark for the smaller home is $2,201.

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.

Sectors of Sacramento

Sacramento is divided into its ten community plan areas, one open spot per trade in each.

Source: City of Sacramento GIS, Community Plan Areas. Population per area is a Payotte estimate: the sum of Census ACS 2020-2024 populations (table B01003) of the 2020 census tracts whose internal point lies inside each official boundary.

Questions about buying a home in Sacramento

How much is property tax in Sacramento?

Homeowners in Sacramento County pay a median $3,921 a year in property tax, 0.73% of the county median home value of $534,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Sacramento?

Home-purchase mortgages in Sacramento County carried median total loan costs of $7,223 in 2025; half of the 11,727 loans fell between $4,884 and $12,933 (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 Sacramento?

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 Sacramento?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Sacramento ($506,300) equals 23.7 years of the median gross rent ($1,779 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Sacramento?

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 Sacramento

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides