Utah · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area

Buying a home in Sandy, Utah

In Sandy, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $614,100, Salt Lake County's effective property tax rate is 0.54%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,290 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,777 a month.

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

Sandy home costs, fact by fact

About Sandy

Sandy is part of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area, the 46th largest in the country. Owner-occupied homes make up 75.2% of the total, and median gross rent is $1,777 a month. Salt Lake County has an effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) of 0.54%, and HUD's two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,615.

Reading the Sandy figures

Sandy's owner-estimated median value of $614,100 is above the Utah statewide median of $543,400. South Jordan reports a higher $650,500, Lehi lands just below, with $612,100, and Salt Lake City comes in lower, with $539,500. These are owners' estimates and not sale prices.

Owner-occupancy of 75.2% matches Lehi's share and trails South Jordan's 81.4%. Salt Lake City is far lower, with 45.8%, and Ogden reports 61.3%. Median gross rent of $1,777 sits above Orem's $1,438 and Provo's $1,193, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a mid-sized apartment in the Salt Lake City area is $1,615, with a larger-unit benchmark of $2,143. The HUD numbers are benchmarks, not market medians, and that benchmark is lower than Sandy's median gross rent.

For the buyer, the typical county home is valued at $525,700, and owners in Salt Lake County pay $2,836 toward property tax annually, an effective rate of 0.54%. Sandy's own estimate is above that county median, so a typical bill here may run higher than the county figure. Loan costs in the county had a 2025 median of $8,290, and the central band ran from $4,786 to $13,505, based on 9,746 loans. Comparing written lender estimates matters because that band is wide. South Jordan's median gross rent of $1,991 is higher, and Layton's $1,538 is lower, which places Sandy in the middle of the cities named here.

Calculate for Utah

If you buy

Utah state transfer tax

Utah has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$543,400
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Utah median value of owner-occupied homes, $543,400 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No tax is calculated on the price. The recording fee is flat per instrument. Who pays: No transfer tax. The recording fee is owed by whoever submits the document; the state purchase contract does not assign recording fees, so closing instructions and the loan decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Utah 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: Utah 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 Sandy

How much is property tax in Sandy?

Homeowners in Salt Lake County pay a median $2,836 a year in property tax, 0.54% of the county median home value of $525,700 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Sandy?

Home-purchase mortgages in Salt Lake County carried median total loan costs of $8,290 in 2025; half of the 9,746 loans fell between $4,786 and $13,505 (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 Sandy?

Utah has no state transfer tax in the official sources read. Recording a deed costs a flat $40 per document under Utah Code 17-71-407, and Utah is a non-disclosure state where deeds do not state the sale price.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sandy?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Sandy ($614,100) equals 28.8 years of the median gross rent ($1,777 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Utah rules that apply in Sandy

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Sources

Utah · All states · Federal guides