Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Sacramento, California
A $485,000 home here costs
$3,647per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,493. The real number is $1,154 higher every month — 46% 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.
Sacramento against Sacramento County and California
| Measure | Sacramento | Sacramento County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $484,600 | $498,900 |
| Median property tax | $3,690 | $3,768 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.761% | 0.755% |
| Median gross rent | $1,694 | $1,702 |
| Population | 524,802 | 1,584,047 |
The weather behind that power bill
Sacramento sits in Sacramento County, which averages a high of 94.4°F in its hottest month and a low of 40.7°F in its coldest, with 19.2" of precipitation a year and 57% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,576 cooling and 2,139 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Sacramento County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Sacramento County
Full Sacramento County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Sacramento?
A $485,000 home in Sacramento, California costs approximately $3,647 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,493 principal and interest, $308 property tax, $75 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $404 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Sacramento?
Sacramento has an effective property tax rate of 0.761%, based on a median home value of $484,600 and median real estate taxes of $3,690. That is in line with the Sacramento County average of 0.755%.
What is the average home price in Sacramento?
The median owner-occupied home value in Sacramento, California is $484,600, against $498,900 across Sacramento County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sacramento?
Median gross rent in Sacramento is $1,694 a month, against $3,647 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 Sacramento — 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.