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

Buying a home in Whittier, California

In Whittier, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $822,600, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,906 a month.

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

Whittier home costs, fact by fact

About Whittier

Whittier sits in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the 2nd largest in the United States. Median gross rent comes to $1,906 a month, and 57.9% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Whittier figures

Whittier is one of the few covered California cities whose owner-estimated median, $822,600, lands just above the statewide figure of $770,700. It falls below Los Angeles, where owners report $921,200, and below Westminster, which reports $858,300. Hayward is listed at $854,400, San Leandro reports $844,200, and Anaheim lands on $831,200. Ventura reports $827,300, so Whittier trails it narrowly, while Simi Valley comes in at $823,800, a hair above. Garden Grove, Long Beach and Concord each fall lower, with owners placing their homes between $814,100 and $797,600. These are owners' estimates, not sale prices. Downey owners report $796,600, Inglewood owners $792,800 and Santa Clarita owners $784,700, so the group beneath Whittier stays within a narrow band while Los Angeles stands clearly above it.

How the city splits between owning and renting also matters. Owners hold 57.9% of Whittier homes, a share above Los Angeles (36%), Long Beach (41.2%) or Anaheim (46.2%), but below Simi Valley (72.9%) and Santa Clarita (71.8%). Renters pay a median of $1,906 monthly. HUD's Fair Market Rent for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area is $2,964, so rent in Whittier sits below that benchmark. Simi Valley renters report $2,579 and Santa Clarita renters $2,544, while Inglewood reports $1,787 and Downey $1,937; all of these are medians for those cities, unlike the HUD figure. Long Beach renters report $1,871, close to Whittier's level. Renting costs more in Westminster, where the median is $2,168, in Hayward, where it is $2,391, and in San Leandro, where it is $2,186, though Concord renters report $2,274. Whittier is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, whose population is 12,927,614, and the city itself counts 85,589 residents. Concord owners hold 61.6% of homes and Westminster owners 53.4%, close to Whittier's share, while Hayward reaches 58% and San Leandro 58.1%.

The county tax read is lenient by the standard of this set. Yearly taxes in Los Angeles County reach a median of $5,675, measured against a county value of $834,200 and an effective rate of 0.68%. Because that county value is slightly above Whittier's own, the bill for a typical Whittier home could differ from the county figure. Across 32,309 home-purchase mortgages in 2025, the county's midpoint closing cost was $11,266, and most borrowers fell between $7,619 and $18,640. That spread is wide, and a buyer comparing Whittier with Anaheim or Long Beach would face the same county-level loan figures, because they are measured for the county, not the city. Because the 0.68% rate is expressed as a share of value, a buyer can apply it to a specific purchase price to estimate the annual bill, using the $5,675 county median only as a rough check. Garden Grove renters report $2,012 and Ventura renters $2,198.

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 Whittier

How much is property tax in Whittier?

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 Whittier?

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 Whittier?

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 Whittier?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Whittier ($822,600) equals 36 years of the median gross rent ($1,906 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Whittier?

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 Whittier

Other large cities in California

Who licenses each trade in California · All covered cities

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides