Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Santa Rosa, California
A $685,000 home here costs
$4,977per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $3,522. The real number is $1,455 higher every month — 41% 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 Rosa against Sonoma County and California
| Measure | Santa Rosa | Sonoma County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $685,000 | $779,000 |
| Median property tax | $4,938 | $5,580 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.721% | 0.716% |
| Median gross rent | $2,084 | $2,093 |
| Population | 177,216 | 485,642 |
The weather behind that power bill
Santa Rosa sits in Sonoma County, which averages a high of 84.1°F in its hottest month and a low of 36.9°F in its coldest, with 33.78" of precipitation a year and 60% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 410 cooling and 2,904 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Sonoma County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Sonoma County
Full Sonoma County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Santa Rosa?
A $685,000 home in Santa Rosa, California costs approximately $4,977 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $3,522 principal and interest, $412 property tax, $106 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $571 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Rosa?
Santa Rosa has an effective property tax rate of 0.721%, based on a median home value of $685,000 and median real estate taxes of $4,938. That is in line with the Sonoma County average of 0.716%.
What is the average home price in Santa Rosa?
The median owner-occupied home value in Santa Rosa, California is $685,000, against $779,000 across Sonoma County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Santa Rosa?
Median gross rent in Santa Rosa is $2,084 a month, against $4,977 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 Rosa — 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.