Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Colfax, California
A $397,000 home here costs
$3,024per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,041. The real number is $983 higher every month — 48% 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.
Colfax against Placer County and California
| Measure | Colfax | Placer County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $397,100 | $658,800 |
| Median property tax | $2,686 | $5,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.676% | 0.850% |
| Median gross rent | $1,633 | $1,991 |
| Population | 2,095 | 412,435 |
The weather behind that power bill
Colfax sits in Placer County, which averages a high of 77.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 33.1°F in its coldest, with 62.44" of precipitation a year and 50% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 552 cooling and 5,213 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Placer County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Placer County
Full Placer County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Colfax?
A $397,000 home in Colfax, California costs approximately $3,024 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,041 principal and interest, $224 property tax, $62 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $331 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Colfax?
Colfax has an effective property tax rate of 0.676%, based on a median home value of $397,100 and median real estate taxes of $2,686. That is lower than the Placer County average of 0.850%.
What is the average home price in Colfax?
The median owner-occupied home value in Colfax, California is $397,100, against $658,800 across Placer County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Colfax?
Median gross rent in Colfax is $1,633 a month, against $3,024 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 Colfax — 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.