Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Hercules, California
A $741,000 home here costs
$5,511per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $3,809. The real number is $1,701 higher every month — 45% 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.
Hercules against Contra Costa County and California
| Measure | Hercules | Contra Costa County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $741,200 | $830,800 |
| Median property tax | $7,230 | $6,903 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.975% | 0.831% |
| Median gross rent | $3,003 | $2,322 |
| Population | 26,245 | 1,161,458 |
The weather behind that power bill
Hercules sits in Contra Costa County, which averages a high of 82.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 41.3°F in its coldest, with 26.05" of precipitation a year and 58% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 926 cooling and 3,309 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Contra Costa County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Contra Costa County
Full Contra Costa County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Hercules?
A $741,000 home in Hercules, California costs approximately $5,511 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $3,809 principal and interest, $602 property tax, $115 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $618 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Hercules?
Hercules has an effective property tax rate of 0.975%, based on a median home value of $741,200 and median real estate taxes of $7,230. That is higher than the Contra Costa County average of 0.831%.
What is the average home price in Hercules?
The median owner-occupied home value in Hercules, California is $741,200, against $830,800 across Contra Costa County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hercules?
Median gross rent in Hercules is $3,003 a month, against $5,511 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 Hercules — 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.