Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Orange, California
A $901,000 home here costs
$6,386per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $4,632. The real number is $1,754 higher every month — 38% 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.
Orange against Orange County and California
| Measure | Orange | Orange County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $900,700 | $915,500 |
| Median property tax | $5,950 | $6,096 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.661% | 0.666% |
| Median gross rent | $2,252 | $2,352 |
| Population | 138,723 | 3,164,063 |
The weather behind that power bill
Orange 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 Orange?
A $901,000 home in Orange, California costs approximately $6,386 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $4,632 principal and interest, $496 property tax, $140 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $751 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Orange?
Orange has an effective property tax rate of 0.661%, based on a median home value of $900,700 and median real estate taxes of $5,950. That is in line with the Orange County average of 0.666%.
What is the average home price in Orange?
The median owner-occupied home value in Orange, California is $900,700, against $915,500 across Orange County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Orange?
Median gross rent in Orange is $2,252 a month, against $6,386 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 Orange — 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.