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

Buying a home in Santa Clarita, California

In Santa Clarita, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $784,700, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025.

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

Santa Clarita home costs, fact by fact

About Santa Clarita

In Los Angeles County, the effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) in Los Angeles County is 0.68%, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Los Angeles County is $2,964. Santa Clarita is a city in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (ranked 2nd among U.S. metro areas), where 71.8% of homes are owner-occupied and median gross rent is $2,544 per month.

Reading the Santa Clarita figures

Santa Clarita sits almost on the state line for value: owners put the typical home at $784,700, while the California figure is $770,700. Concord ($797,600) and Downey ($796,600) sit just above it; West Covina and Oceanside sit just below, close to $779,800 and $770,300. Los Angeles reaches $921,200 and Simi Valley $823,800. Garden Grove, Long Beach and Inglewood fall between $792,800 and $814,100.

What makes the city distinct is tenure. With 71.8% of households owning, it has more owners than Rancho Cucamonga, Concord or West Covina, with shares of 60.3% to 62.3%, and far more than Long Beach, Inglewood or Los Angeles, which sit between 36% and 41.2%. Only Simi Valley, with 72.9%, shows a higher share among the cities named here. Where most households are owners, the supply of rentals is usually thinner, and that fits a rent level that is high for the price of a home.

The monthly median is $2,544. Garden Grove, Long Beach and Chula Vista all ask less, with medians between $1,871 and $2,229. Simi Valley, with $2,579, is a touch higher. Rancho Cucamonga ($2,357) and Oceanside ($2,303) fall in between.

Next, HUD. In its tables for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale zone, $2,964 is the base figure and $3,760 the larger-home figure. Since the zone is very wide, both sit above the city's median and work as a ceiling for rentals, not a market price.

Los Angeles County supplies the tax and lender figures. A 0.68% effective rate, on a county whose homes are valued at $834,200, yields $5,675 a year, a county valuation higher than the city's own. The 2025 record shows 32,309 loans, with $11,266 as the median financing charge. The middle range stretched from $7,619 to $18,640, an unusually wide spread that shows how much individual terms can differ, and a buyer comparing offers should weigh it carefully.

For scale, the city has 229,159 residents, within the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, which ranks 2nd in the country. Garden Grove counts 172,361 residents and Downey 109,368; Santa Clarita is larger than both, yet holds a higher share of owners than either.

The metro area adds another comparison. Alongside Long Beach, with 450,901 residents, and Inglewood, with 102,774, Santa Clarita is one of several large Los Angeles-area cities in the comparison, yet its owner share is far higher than theirs.

Put together, the figures describe a market of owners, with prices close to the state level and a rent in the upper part of the group. For a household weighing a purchase against renting, the HUD schedule and the county payment are the two figures to place side by side with the $784,700 value.

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 Santa Clarita

How much is property tax in Santa Clarita?

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 Santa Clarita?

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 Santa Clarita?

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 Santa Clarita?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Santa Clarita ($784,700) equals 25.7 years of the median gross rent ($2,544 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Santa Clarita?

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 Santa Clarita

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides