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

Buying a home in San Bernardino, California

In San Bernardino, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $422,300, San Bernardino County's effective property tax rate is 0.7%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,854 in total loan costs in 2025.

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

San Bernardino home costs, fact by fact

About San Bernardino

In San Bernardino County, the effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) in San Bernardino County is 0.7%, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in San Bernardino County is $2,103. San Bernardino is a city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (ranked 12th among U.S. metro areas), where 50% of homes are owner-occupied and median gross rent is $1,508 per month.

Reading the San Bernardino figures

San Bernardino sits near the bottom of the price range. Its owners estimate $422,300, which is well under California's $770,700 and under the county's $505,000. Rialto is higher at $487,900, Clovis higher at $482,700. Palmdale reaches $471,000, Chico $468,100, Lancaster $446,600. Under San Bernardino, Hesperia posts $409,000 and Victorville $385,600. Fresno posts $374,800. Bakersfield posts $371,700. Visalia posts $371,500, the lowest of all. Los Angeles, at $921,200, is far above.

Rent is $1,508 a month, below Rialto's $1,759 or Clovis's $1,792. Palmdale charges $1,802, Lancaster $1,764. Modesto rents for $1,690 and Stockton for $1,577. Chico charges $1,488 for rent. Fresno charges $1,421 and Bakersfield $1,472, while Visalia charges $1,490. Those are lower. Los Angeles asks $1,933.

The ownership share is 50%. That is below Rialto, Palmdale and Hesperia, each of which has 66.2%, 66.2% and 67.2%. Lancaster stands at 60.4%. Victorville stands at 60.6%. Fresno (50.1%) and Stockton (53.9%) are close by. Chico has 43.4% and Los Angeles 36%, both lower. Rialto, the nearest neighbour above it at $487,900, rents for $1,759 and has 66.2% owners. Hesperia, just below at $409,000, rents for $1,590 and has 67.2% owners. In both, owner shares are higher than San Bernardino's 50%, so tenure here does not rise or fall with value alone. So a buyer here is buying into a city with a high renter presence, compared with its neighbours.

Annual carrying costs come from the county. It taxes at 0.70% effective, so its $505,000 median value yields a $3,538 median bill. Since the city's estimate is lower than the county median, a typical bill could be lower than $3,538; the rate is the safer guide.

On the borrowing side, $11,854 was the 2025 median over 12,896 loans, and the usual range ran from $6,762 to $16,923. Treat that spread as a prompt to compare quotes. A cost near $11,854 weighs more heavily on a lower-priced home, so ask lenders to break down the fees. Federal rent guidance for this area, $2,103 and $2,771 by home size, comes from HUD. Neither is a market median, yet both sit well above the city's median rent, a sign of how broad the guide is.

Taken together, the numbers say that San Bernardino sits near the bottom of the price range among the neighbours listed, with a mid-range owner share. Loan costs, at $11,854, weigh heavily on a smaller price, and the county's $505,000 median value is itself above what owners here report. A buyer should therefore start from the city's own $422,300 and $1,508 rather than from county averages. San Bernardino has 224,775 residents, and the metro area around it, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, has 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 San Bernardino

How much is property tax in San Bernardino?

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 San Bernardino?

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 San Bernardino?

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 San Bernardino?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in San Bernardino ($422,300) equals 23.3 years of the median gross rent ($1,508 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in San Bernardino?

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 San Bernardino

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides