California · Vallejo, CA metro area

Buying a home in Vacaville, California

In Vacaville, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $620,900, Solano County's effective property tax rate is 0.75%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $10,055 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,299 a month.

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

Vacaville home costs, fact by fact

About Vacaville

With 103,994 residents, Vacaville is a city within the Vallejo, CA metro area, which ranks 120th among U.S. metro areas. Median gross rent is $2,299 per month, and 67.5% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Vacaville figures

Vacaville comes in under the California figure: owners estimate $620,900, against $770,700 statewide. The covered cities nearest in value are Fairfield ($624,300) and Antioch ($629,700). Elk Grove sits a touch higher at $630,100, with Murrieta at $639,800. Ontario is lower at $607,600, Vallejo lower still at $589,500, while Los Angeles is far higher at $921,200. East Los Angeles ($643,100) and El Monte ($644,000) also sit a little above Vacaville. Owners gave all of these values; none comes from a closing.

Rent is where Vacaville stands out. Its $2,299 median exceeds Antioch's $2,278, then Fairfield's $2,266, then Elk Grove's $2,262, each by a narrow margin. Vallejo's $2,073 and Ontario's $2,030 sit clearly under it. Murrieta, with $2,388, is the one city named here that reaches higher. HUD's table for the Vallejo zone shows $2,342 for the smaller size and $3,053 for the larger, so the city median sits just under the first, though it is a yardstick for the whole zone and not a Vacaville median.

Look at what similar values can mean elsewhere. East Los Angeles records rent of only $1,494 at a value near Vacaville's, and El Monte records $1,736. Pomona reads $1,810 and Fontana $1,839, both below, with Jurupa Valley lower still at $1,741. A home value alone does not predict what a tenant pays, which is why the rent column deserves its own look before you decide between renting and buying here.

Of Vacaville's households, 67.5% own. Antioch has 63.6% owners, Fairfield 61.3%, both lower. Murrieta sits at 69.5%, then Jurupa Valley reaches 70.1%, while Elk Grove climbs to 73.8%. El Monte (40.2%) leans far toward renting, as does East Los Angeles (33.5%).

Solano County sets the tax: a 0.75% rate gives a typical annual bill of $4,621 against a county middle value of $617,700, a hair under the Vacaville estimate. In 2025, 3,463 county loans cost $10,055 at the median, and the middle of the range ran from $5,938 to $16,311, wide enough to justify several quotes. Vacaville has 103,994 residents and belongs to the Vallejo metro area of 455,101 people. The takeaway is that Vacaville pairs a mid-range value with a rent that is higher than most cities named here.

Cross-checks help. Vallejo, valued at $589,500, shows rent of $2,073 and 57.4% owners, so Vacaville is higher on value, rent and ownership alike. Murrieta, valued at $639,800, is the most direct counterpart: a slightly higher value, rent of $2,388 and an owner share of 69.5%. Vacaville is one of 77 covered California cities, and its metro area ranks 120th nationally. Owners' estimates and HUD benchmarks are not transactions, so every comparison here is a reading of the figures rather than a valuation.

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 Vacaville

How much is property tax in Vacaville?

Homeowners in Solano County pay a median $4,621 a year in property tax, 0.75% of the county median home value of $617,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Vacaville?

Home-purchase mortgages in Solano County carried median total loan costs of $10,055 in 2025; half of the 3,463 loans fell between $5,938 and $16,311 (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 Vacaville?

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 Vacaville?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Vacaville ($620,900) equals 22.5 years of the median gross rent ($2,299 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Vacaville?

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 Vacaville

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides