California · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area

Buying a home in San Leandro, California

In San Leandro, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $844,200, Alameda County's effective property tax rate is 0.78%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,758 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,186 a month.

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

San Leandro home costs, fact by fact

About San Leandro

San Leandro, California lies in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the 13th largest in the United States. Owners estimate the median value of homes at $844,200, an estimate rather than a sale price, and 58.1% of homes are owner-occupied. Median gross rent is $2,186 a month, while HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Alameda County is $2,805.

Reading the San Leandro figures

San Leandro's owner-estimated median of $844,200 is above the $770,700 given for California and below Los Angeles at $921,200. Hawthorne reports $863,400, Westminster reports $858,300, and Hayward reports $854,400, while Whittier reports $822,600 and Long Beach reports $806,600. Rent of $2,186 a month sits close to Anaheim's $2,175 and Westminster's $2,168, and well below HUD's Fair Market Rent of $2,805 for Alameda County, whose larger-unit benchmark is $3,592. That figure is a HUD benchmark, not a market median. Owners hold 58.1% of homes, level with Hayward, which reports 58%, and Whittier, which reports 57.9%. Alameda County's 0.78% rate turns into $8,474 for the tax collector on a home worth $1,090,100, a value higher than the San Leandro median, so a buyer here would be taxed on a lower base than the county typical. Mortgages originated in 2025 totaled 8,025, and typical up-front loan expenses were $7,758, with the central band from $6,383 to $10,488, a fairly tight range. San Diego reports $906,700 and Ventura reports $827,300. Hayward reports rent of $2,391, above San Leandro, and Simi Valley reports $2,579. Garden Grove reports $814,100 with rent of $2,012, and Fullerton reports $902,600 with rent of $2,194. San Leandro lies in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, which is home to 4,648,486 residents and ranks 13th, and the city itself has 86,571 residents. Of the 104 covered California cities, those named here show how closely values sit around the San Leandro figure.

Rent and value read together tell a different story. San Leandro pairs $2,186 with $844,200, while Hayward pairs $2,391 with $854,400, Westminster pairs $2,168 with $858,300, and Simi Valley pairs $2,579 with $823,800. Whittier reports $1,906 against $822,600, and Long Beach reports $1,871 against $806,600. Owner shares vary: Simi Valley reports 72.9%, Ventura reports 55.9%, and Long Beach reports 41.2%, against San Leandro's 58.1%. A county home worth $1,090,100 sits well above the San Leandro median, so the 0.78% rate gives a larger bill, $8,474, than the city's own median would suggest. HUD's benchmark of $2,805 sits well above San Leandro's rent of $2,186, which is why renters should not read it as a market rate. Anaheim reports $831,200 with an owner share of 46.2%, and Hawthorne reports an owner share of 27.2%. San Leandro has 86,571 residents. Whittier reports 57.9%, so San Leandro's owner share looks typical of the group of cities named here. Westminster reports 53.4% and Garden Grove 53.1%. The covered California cities named here, from Long Beach at $806,600 to Los Angeles at $921,200, all sit above the state's $770,700, so San Leandro's owner-estimated value is in a fairly crowded band among those cities.

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 Leandro

How much is property tax in San Leandro?

Homeowners in Alameda County pay a median $8,474 a year in property tax, 0.78% of the county median home value of $1,090,100 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in San Leandro?

Home-purchase mortgages in Alameda County carried median total loan costs of $7,758 in 2025; half of the 8,025 loans fell between $6,383 and $10,488 (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 Leandro?

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 Leandro?

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 Leandro ($844,200) equals 32.2 years of the median gross rent ($2,186 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in San Leandro?

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 Leandro

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides