Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Orinda, California
A $1,804,000 home here costs
$12,257per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $9,274. The real number is $2,983 higher every month — 32% 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.
Orinda against Contra Costa County and California
| Measure | Orinda | Contra Costa County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $1,804,400 | $830,800 |
| Median property tax | $10,001 | $6,903 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.554% | 0.831% |
| Median gross rent | $2,407 | $2,322 |
| Population | 19,472 | 1,161,458 |
The weather behind that power bill
Orinda 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 Orinda?
A $1,804,000 home in Orinda, California costs approximately $12,257 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $9,274 principal and interest, $833 property tax, $280 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $1,503 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Orinda?
Orinda has an effective property tax rate of 0.554%, based on a median home value of $1,804,400 and median real estate taxes of $10,001. That is lower than the Contra Costa County average of 0.831%.
What is the average home price in Orinda?
The median owner-occupied home value in Orinda, California is $1,804,400, against $830,800 across Contra Costa County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Orinda?
Median gross rent in Orinda is $2,407 a month, against $12,257 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 Orinda — 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.