Utah · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area

Buying a home in West Valley City, Utah

In West Valley City, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $419,100, Salt Lake County's effective property tax rate is 0.54%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,290 in total loan costs in 2025.

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

West Valley City home costs, fact by fact

About West Valley City

Part of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area, West Valley City in Utah sits in a region of 1,300,762 residents, ranked 46th among U.S. metro areas.

Reading the West Valley City figures

West Valley City owners estimate $419,100, well under the Utah figure of $543,400. St. George shows $496,100 and West Jordan $492,500, Provo $467,200, and only Ogden, with $355,600, is lower. Owners provided these figures instead of buyers, so they describe opinion more than closings.

Households own in 72.1% of cases, more than in St. George, where 66.7% own, and Ogden, where 61.3% do. West Jordan reports 77.2%. Rent is $1,504 a month by the census measure, above Salt Lake City's $1,414 and under St. George's $1,545. HUD lists $1,615 for the smaller bedroom count in the Salt Lake City zone and $2,143 for the larger, above the census rent. These are benchmarks, not market medians.

Salt Lake County applies an effective rate of 0.54%, giving a median bill of $2,836 a year on county homes valued at $525,700, a figure far above the city's own. A typical house here may be taxed on less than the county median suggests, because the city's value of $419,100 is far under that county reference.

Lenders in the county recorded 9,746 loans in 2025, and the median loan cost there was $8,290. The middle of the field paid between $4,786 and $13,505, a wide spread. The metro area ranks 46th nationally with 1,300,762 people, and the city counts 138,144, against 217,783 in Salt Lake City. Because the county tax and lender data cover the whole county, a buyer should treat them as a guide to the area rather than a quote for a given house.

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 West Valley City

How much is property tax in West Valley City?

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 West Valley City?

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 West Valley City?

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 West Valley City?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in West Valley City ($419,100) equals 23.2 years of the median gross rent ($1,504 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

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

Utah rules that apply in West Valley City

Other large cities in Utah

Who licenses each trade in Utah · All covered cities

Sources

Utah · All states · Federal guides