Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Alum Rock, California
A $880,000 home here costs
$6,270per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $4,524. The real number is $1,746 higher every month — 39% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Alum Rock against Santa Clara County and California
| Measure | Alum Rock | Santa Clara County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $880,000 | $1,382,800 |
| Median property tax | $6,110 | $9,766 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.694% | 0.706% |
| Median gross rent | $2,412 | $2,814 |
| Population | 11,619 | 1,903,297 |
The weather behind that power bill
Alum Rock sits in Santa Clara County, which averages a high of 81.4°F in its hottest month and a low of 41.7°F in its coldest, with 13.48" of precipitation a year and 58% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 624 cooling and 2,184 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Santa Clara County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Santa Clara County
Full Santa Clara County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Alum Rock?
A $880,000 home in Alum Rock, California costs approximately $6,270 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $4,524 principal and interest, $509 property tax, $136 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $733 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Alum Rock?
Alum Rock has an effective property tax rate of 0.694%, based on a median home value of $880,000 and median real estate taxes of $6,110. That is lower than the Santa Clara County average of 0.706%.
What is the average home price in Alum Rock?
The median owner-occupied home value in Alum Rock, California is $880,000, against $1,382,800 across Santa Clara County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Alum Rock?
Median gross rent in Alum Rock is $2,412 a month, against $6,270 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Alum Rock — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for California.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.