Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Cheapest Counties to Own a Home Outright in California
Paying off a mortgage does not end the cost of a house. This ranks counties by what the median home still costs every month with no loan at all: property tax, insurance, electricity, water and maintenance. Nowhere in America is it zero.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
California ranked
| # | County | Monthly if paid off | Median home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modoc County | $567 | $212,000 | 0.682% |
| 2 | Lassen County | $649 | $259,500 | 0.720% |
| 3 | Siskiyou County | $675 | $284,500 | 0.661% |
| 4 | Imperial County | $709 | $279,500 | 0.840% |
| 5 | Del Norte County | $709 | $319,600 | 0.586% |
| 6 | Trinity County | $710 | $329,000 | 0.539% |
| 7 | Tehama County | $715 | $315,600 | 0.632% |
| 8 | Tulare County | $721 | $303,000 | 0.730% |
| 9 | Kings County | $731 | $305,700 | 0.751% |
| 10 | Lake County | $741 | $316,800 | 0.724% |
| 11 | Glenn County | $754 | $338,400 | 0.647% |
| 12 | Plumas County | $757 | $327,400 | 0.721% |
| 13 | Inyo County | $771 | $338,400 | 0.707% |
| 14 | Kern County | $780 | $310,600 | 0.912% |
| 15 | Sierra County | $783 | $334,100 | 0.775% |
| 16 | Shasta County | $784 | $347,200 | 0.703% |
| 17 | Mariposa County | $794 | $358,000 | 0.681% |
| 18 | Merced County | $808 | $368,400 | 0.675% |
| 19 | Colusa County | $814 | $375,100 | 0.661% |
| 20 | Madera County | $815 | $367,700 | 0.700% |
| 21 | Fresno County | $821 | $362,600 | 0.746% |
| 22 | Yuba County | $851 | $380,000 | 0.754% |
| 23 | Tuolumne County | $867 | $406,200 | 0.674% |
| 24 | Butte County | $876 | $408,700 | 0.690% |
| 25 | Humboldt County | $879 | $418,800 | 0.652% |
| 26 | Sutter County | $891 | $399,400 | 0.779% |
| 27 | Amador County | $900 | $422,800 | 0.695% |
| 28 | Stanislaus County | $911 | $426,600 | 0.709% |
| 29 | Calaveras County | $937 | $441,800 | 0.714% |
| 30 | Alpine County | $963 | $466,100 | 0.684% |
| 31 | San Bernardino County | $985 | $475,000 | 0.704% |
| 32 | Mendocino County | $999 | $486,000 | 0.695% |
| 33 | San Joaquin County | $1,041 | $494,500 | 0.765% |
| 34 | Sacramento County | $1,044 | $498,900 | 0.755% |
| 35 | Mono County | $1,073 | $514,300 | 0.765% |
| 36 | Riverside County | $1,091 | $510,300 | 0.821% |
| 37 | Solano County | $1,187 | $589,600 | 0.748% |
| 38 | Yolo County | $1,204 | $593,800 | 0.769% |
| 39 | Nevada County | $1,205 | $602,800 | 0.741% |
| 40 | El Dorado County | $1,246 | $640,500 | 0.704% |
| 41 | Monterey County | $1,350 | $723,100 | 0.661% |
| 42 | Placer County | $1,355 | $658,800 | 0.850% |
| 43 | Santa Barbara County | $1,370 | $735,700 | 0.662% |
| 44 | Ventura County | $1,440 | $768,400 | 0.693% |
| 45 | San Luis Obispo County | $1,461 | $777,200 | 0.704% |
| 46 | Los Angeles County | $1,464 | $783,300 | 0.694% |
| 47 | Sonoma County | $1,472 | $779,000 | 0.716% |
| 48 | San Diego County | $1,481 | $791,600 | 0.700% |
| 49 | San Benito County | $1,486 | $751,500 | 0.809% |
| 50 | Napa County | $1,553 | $838,800 | 0.696% |
| 51 | Contra Costa County | $1,633 | $830,800 | 0.831% |
| 52 | Orange County | $1,650 | $915,500 | 0.666% |
| 53 | Santa Cruz County | $1,766 | $1,015,200 | 0.621% |
| 54 | Alameda County | $1,954 | $1,057,400 | 0.762% |
| 55 | San Francisco County | $2,386 | $1,380,500 | 0.682% |
| 56 | Santa Clara County | $2,417 | $1,382,800 | 0.706% |
| 57 | Marin County | $2,444 | $1,390,000 | 0.719% |
| 58 | San Mateo County | $2,478 | $1,494,500 | 0.613% |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Cheapest Counties to Own a Home Outright across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in California