Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Santa Clara, California
A $1,528,000 home here costs
$10,477per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $7,855. The real number is $2,622 higher every month — 33% 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.
Santa Clara against Santa Clara County and California
| Measure | Santa Clara | Santa Clara County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $1,527,900 | $1,382,800 |
| Median property tax | $8,939 | $9,766 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.585% | 0.706% |
| Median gross rent | $2,985 | $2,814 |
| Population | 129,239 | 1,903,297 |
The weather behind that power bill
Santa Clara sits in Santa Clara County, which averages a high of 81.4°F in its hottest month and a low of 41.7°F in its coldest, with 13.48" of precipitation a year and 58% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 624 cooling and 2,184 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Santa Clara County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Santa Clara County
Full Santa Clara County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Santa Clara?
A $1,528,000 home in Santa Clara, California costs approximately $10,477 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $7,855 principal and interest, $745 property tax, $237 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $1,273 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara has an effective property tax rate of 0.585%, based on a median home value of $1,527,900 and median real estate taxes of $8,939. That is lower than the Santa Clara County average of 0.706%.
What is the average home price in Santa Clara?
The median owner-occupied home value in Santa Clara, California is $1,527,900, against $1,382,800 across Santa Clara County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Santa Clara?
Median gross rent in Santa Clara is $2,985 a month, against $10,477 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 Santa Clara — 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.