Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Garden Grove, California
A $766,000 home here costs
$5,470per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $3,938. The real number is $1,532 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.
Garden Grove against Orange County and California
| Measure | Garden Grove | Orange County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $765,500 | $915,500 |
| Median property tax | $4,892 | $6,096 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.639% | 0.666% |
| Median gross rent | $1,971 | $2,352 |
| Population | 170,603 | 3,164,063 |
The weather behind that power bill
Garden Grove sits in Orange County, which averages a high of 87.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 42.8°F in its coldest, with 14.12" of precipitation a year and 62% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,246 cooling and 1,287 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Orange County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Orange County
Full Orange County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Garden Grove?
A $766,000 home in Garden Grove, California costs approximately $5,470 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $3,938 principal and interest, $408 property tax, $119 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $638 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Garden Grove?
Garden Grove has an effective property tax rate of 0.639%, based on a median home value of $765,500 and median real estate taxes of $4,892. That is lower than the Orange County average of 0.666%.
What is the average home price in Garden Grove?
The median owner-occupied home value in Garden Grove, California is $765,500, against $915,500 across Orange County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Garden Grove?
Median gross rent in Garden Grove is $1,971 a month, against $5,470 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 Garden Grove — 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.