California · 120th largest metro area

Buying a home in Vallejo, California

In Vallejo, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $589,500, 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 $2,073 a month.

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

Vallejo home costs, fact by fact

About Vallejo

With 123,475 residents, Vallejo is a city in California and part of the Vallejo, CA metro area. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Solano County is $2,342, while the median gross rent in Vallejo is $2,073 per month.

Reading the Vallejo figures

In Vallejo, owners put homes at $589,500. California's figure is $770,700, and Solano County's middle value is $617,700, so the city sits below both. Higher up the covered list, Elk Grove reads $630,100, with Antioch only slightly lower, $629,700. Fairfield and Vacaville sit just below them, at $624,300 and $620,900. Ontario follows at $607,600, then Pomona at $593,800. Lower down, Fontana reads $586,800, with Riverside just under it at $584,800. Jurupa Valley, at $574,600, is lower again, then Menifee at $537,300. Santa Maria shows $531,700, with Sacramento the lowest of these at $506,300. Los Angeles, at $921,200, belongs to a different range. Owners, not closings, are the source of these values.

Rents in Vallejo run $2,073 a month. Vacaville records $2,299 and Antioch $2,278, with Fairfield at $2,266, so the cities near Vallejo on value mostly record more. Menifee, at $2,110, is only a little above. Ontario is a little below at $2,030, with Santa Maria at $1,925. Riverside reads $1,914. Further down, Fontana reads $1,839 and Pomona $1,810, while Sacramento shows $1,779. HUD's table for the Vallejo zone shows $2,342 and $3,053, smaller and larger sizes. Both are higher than the city median, but they describe the whole zone and are not medians from the city's own rentals.

On ownership, 57.4% of households own, level with Ontario (58%) and Riverside (56.8%) alike. Fairfield has 61.3%, Antioch 63.6%. Vacaville reaches 67.5%. Elk Grove reaches 73.8%, with Menifee higher still at 80.2%. Sacramento has 51.7%, Santa Maria 50.2%, all lower; Los Angeles has just 36%. The mix means Vallejo falls in the middle of this group on ownership while sitting on the low side for rent.

County figures complete the picture: tax at a 0.75% rate yields a typical $4,621 annual bill. Because the Vallejo estimate lies below the county's middle value, a purchase at the city figure would likely be taxed under that bill. HMDA data for 2025 lists 3,463 loans in the county at a median cost of $10,055, with the middle of the range from $5,938 to $16,311, a broad spread that rewards shopping around. Vallejo, with 123,475 residents, gives its name to the metro area of 455,101 people.

Set against the state, Vallejo's estimate is far lower than California's $770,700; set against Sacramento's $506,300, it is higher. Vacaville, valued at $620,900, offers the nearest like-for-like reading, with higher figures for rent and ownership. HUD's smaller-size figure of $2,342 is above the city's $2,073, and the larger-size figure of $3,053 is well above. Vallejo is one of 77 covered California cities, and its metro area ranks 120th nationally. None of these values is a sale price, and HUD figures are benchmarks, so the comparisons place Vallejo rather than price a home.

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 Vallejo

How much is property tax in Vallejo?

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 Vallejo?

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 Vallejo?

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 Vallejo?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Vallejo ($589,500) equals 23.7 years of the median gross rent ($2,073 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Vallejo?

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 Vallejo

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides