Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Fairfax, California
A $1,122,000 home here costs
$8,078per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $5,768. The real number is $2,310 higher every month — 40% 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.
Fairfax against Marin County and California
| Measure | Fairfax | Marin County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $1,121,500 | $1,390,000 |
| Median property tax | $10,001 | $10,001 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.892% | 0.719% |
| Median gross rent | $2,281 | $2,584 |
| Population | 7,523 | 258,765 |
The weather behind that power bill
Fairfax sits in Marin County, which averages a high of 81.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 42.1°F in its coldest, with 34.45" of precipitation a year and 64% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 486 cooling and 2,481 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Marin County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Marin County
Full Marin County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Fairfax?
A $1,122,000 home in Fairfax, California costs approximately $8,078 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $5,768 principal and interest, $834 property tax, $174 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $935 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Fairfax?
Fairfax has an effective property tax rate of 0.892%, based on a median home value of $1,121,500 and median real estate taxes of $10,001. That is higher than the Marin County average of 0.719%.
What is the average home price in Fairfax?
The median owner-occupied home value in Fairfax, California is $1,121,500, against $1,390,000 across Marin County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fairfax?
Median gross rent in Fairfax is $2,281 a month, against $8,078 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 Fairfax — 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.