Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Highest Costs Beyond the Mortgage in California
Tax, insurance, electricity, water and maintenance as a share of the total monthly cost of owning: everything the mortgage payment is not. Ranking the dollars would just reproduce a list of expensive counties, because all of those costs scale with the price of the house. The share does not: at one rate and one down payment the mortgage is the same fraction of price everywhere, so what moves this list is counties whose carrying costs are heavy for what the house is worth. The share depends on the rate and the 20% down payment this site models, and would shift if either changed.
California ranked
| # | County | Share beyond mortgage | Monthly beyond mortgage | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modoc County | 33.4% | $567 | $1,699 |
| 2 | Imperial County | 32.2% | $709 | $2,201 |
| 3 | Kern County | 32.0% | $780 | $2,438 |
| 4 | Lassen County | 31.9% | $649 | $2,035 |
| 5 | Kings County | 30.9% | $731 | $2,363 |
| 6 | Tulare County | 30.8% | $721 | $2,338 |
| 7 | Siskiyou County | 30.8% | $675 | $2,194 |
| 8 | Sierra County | 30.5% | $783 | $2,567 |
| 9 | Lake County | 30.5% | $741 | $2,433 |
| 10 | Plumas County | 30.2% | $757 | $2,505 |
| 11 | Inyo County | 29.9% | $771 | $2,577 |
| 12 | Tehama County | 29.8% | $715 | $2,400 |
| 13 | Fresno County | 29.8% | $821 | $2,757 |
| 14 | Shasta County | 29.7% | $784 | $2,637 |
| 15 | Yuba County | 29.6% | $851 | $2,880 |
| 16 | Sutter County | 29.5% | $891 | $3,023 |
| 17 | Glenn County | 29.4% | $754 | $2,561 |
| 18 | Del Norte County | 29.4% | $709 | $2,415 |
| 19 | Mariposa County | 29.4% | $794 | $2,705 |
| 20 | Madera County | 29.3% | $815 | $2,778 |
| 21 | Merced County | 29.1% | $808 | $2,775 |
| 22 | Colusa County | 28.9% | $814 | $2,817 |
| 23 | Trinity County | 28.8% | $710 | $2,466 |
| 24 | Butte County | 28.6% | $876 | $3,058 |
| 25 | Riverside County | 28.6% | $1,091 | $3,815 |
| 26 | Stanislaus County | 28.6% | $911 | $3,188 |
| 27 | Tuolumne County | 28.6% | $867 | $3,035 |
| 28 | Amador County | 28.5% | $900 | $3,157 |
| 29 | Calaveras County | 28.4% | $937 | $3,295 |
| 30 | San Joaquin County | 28.3% | $1,041 | $3,681 |
| 31 | Humboldt County | 28.2% | $879 | $3,114 |
| 32 | Sacramento County | 28.2% | $1,044 | $3,707 |
| 33 | Mono County | 28.1% | $1,073 | $3,819 |
| 34 | San Bernardino County | 28.0% | $985 | $3,521 |
| 35 | Alpine County | 27.9% | $963 | $3,452 |
| 36 | Placer County | 27.8% | $1,355 | $4,872 |
| 37 | Mendocino County | 27.8% | $999 | $3,593 |
| 38 | Yolo County | 27.5% | $1,204 | $4,374 |
| 39 | Solano County | 27.4% | $1,187 | $4,335 |
| 40 | Nevada County | 27.2% | $1,205 | $4,423 |
| 41 | San Benito County | 27.0% | $1,486 | $5,498 |
| 42 | Contra Costa County | 26.9% | $1,633 | $6,069 |
| 43 | El Dorado County | 26.7% | $1,246 | $4,665 |
| 44 | Sonoma County | 26.1% | $1,472 | $5,631 |
| 45 | San Luis Obispo County | 26.0% | $1,461 | $5,610 |
| 46 | Ventura County | 26.0% | $1,440 | $5,542 |
| 47 | San Diego County | 26.0% | $1,481 | $5,707 |
| 48 | Los Angeles County | 25.9% | $1,464 | $5,646 |
| 49 | Monterey County | 25.9% | $1,350 | $5,210 |
| 50 | Santa Barbara County | 25.9% | $1,370 | $5,298 |
| 51 | Napa County | 25.7% | $1,553 | $6,031 |
| 52 | Alameda County | 25.7% | $1,954 | $7,599 |
| 53 | Orange County | 25.2% | $1,650 | $6,537 |
| 54 | Marin County | 24.8% | $2,444 | $9,864 |
| 55 | Santa Clara County | 24.7% | $2,417 | $9,799 |
| 56 | Santa Cruz County | 24.6% | $1,766 | $7,185 |
| 57 | San Francisco County | 24.5% | $2,386 | $9,756 |
| 58 | San Mateo County | 23.7% | $2,478 | $10,456 |
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
Highest Costs Beyond the Mortgage across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in California