California · Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area

Buying a home in Thousand Oaks, California

In Thousand Oaks, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $991,600, Ventura County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,419 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,664 a month.

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

Thousand Oaks home costs, fact by fact

About Thousand Oaks

The effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) in Ventura County is 0.68%, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in the county is $2,424. Thousand Oaks lies in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area, and 70.8% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Thousand Oaks figures

The city sits well above the California median of $770,700, with the typical home valued by owners at $991,600. Daly City, Glendale, Huntington Beach, Pasadena, Burbank and Torrance all sit higher, within a $1,074,700 to $1,115,000 range, while Orange, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Fullerton and Hayward sit lower, between $854,400 and $945,800. Remember that no recorded sale prices sit behind these numbers.

Ownership is high at 70.8% of households, well above Orange, Torrance and Huntington Beach, at 55% to 56.7%, and above Daly City at 60.2%, while Pasadena, Burbank and Glendale sit at the renter-heavy end, between 35.2% and 43.3%. The rent follows: a median of $2,664 a month exceeds Huntington Beach, Daly City, Orange, Torrance and San Diego, at $2,280 to $2,551, and stays distant from Los Angeles ($1,933) and Oakland ($1,979). Orange, with 56.7% owners and a rent of $2,327, shows how the pairing of ownership and rent can differ across the group.

HUD's tables for the zone show $2,424 for a standard rental and $3,287 for a larger home. Here the city's median rent sits above the base figure, which means the HUD number understates local rents, so the rental market is worth verifying listing by listing.

Ventura County provides the tax and lender figures. Property tax comes to $5,574 annually, with a 0.68% effective rate applied to a county valuation of $822,700, lower than the city's $991,600, so a payment here would be expected to land above the county figure. In 2025 the 4,252 loans carried financing charges of $9,419 for the borrower in the middle, with the broad centre of loans between $6,823 and $16,345.

The city has 124,229 residents. The metro area has 835,427 and ranks 75th nationally. Among the cities named, Burbank and Daly City are smaller, with 103,533 and 101,418 residents, while Torrance, Orange, Pasadena, Fullerton and Hayward are larger, with populations between 137,195 and 158,440.

Taken together, the numbers describe a city of owners with a high rent and values in the upper part of the group, well clear of Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego, but still below the coastal cities of Orange County and the Bay Area named above.

Set beside Los Angeles, where the median is $921,200 and only 36% of households own, the contrast is sharp: a higher value here, a far larger owner base and a higher rent, $2,664 against $1,933. Oakland, at $929,900 with 42.3% owners, makes a similar contrast. Within Ventura County's reach, the city and its county figures tell a consistent story, with the county tax payment of $5,574 well below what a home at $991,600 would suggest at face 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 Thousand Oaks

How much is property tax in Thousand Oaks?

Homeowners in Ventura County pay a median $5,574 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $822,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Thousand Oaks?

Home-purchase mortgages in Ventura County carried median total loan costs of $9,419 in 2025; half of the 4,252 loans fell between $6,823 and $16,345 (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 Thousand Oaks?

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 Thousand Oaks?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Thousand Oaks ($991,600) equals 31 years of the median gross rent ($2,664 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Thousand Oaks?

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 Thousand Oaks

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides