Typical Cost of a House in California
On this page
The median home value in California is $734,700, measured over 2020–2024. That is 120.8% above the U.S. median of $332,700. Half of owner-occupied homes are valued above that figure and half below.
Median home value
$734,700
2020–2024, give or take $1,307
Against the U.S. median
+120.8%
AboveU.S. $332,700
Rank among states
3rd highest
of 51, counting the District of Columbia
Monthly housing costs in California
What households actually pay each month, for those who own with a mortgage and those who rent.
Owning with a mortgage
$2,946a month
+50.1%U.S. $1,963
Median of mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees together.
Renting
$2,036a month
+44.1%U.S. $1,413
Median gross rent: the rent itself plus utilities the renter pays.
Where California sits among the states
Each tick is one state's median home value. The highlighted band holds the middle half of them, and the dark line is the median.
Home values by county in California
58 counties, each compared with the California median.
- Alameda County+48.4%$1,090,100
- Alpine County−19.7%$590,200
- Amador County−38.8%$449,800
- Butte County−42.2%$424,700
- Calaveras County−37.8%$457,200
- Colusa County−46.5%$393,400
- Contra Costa County+18.0%$866,800
- Del Norte County−53.5%$342,000
- El Dorado County−7.5%$679,900
- Fresno County−47.1%$388,800
- Glenn County−52.0%$352,400
- Humboldt County−39.2%$446,900
- Imperial County−57.9%$309,600
- Inyo County−52.5%$348,700
- Kern County−54.0%$338,300
- Kings County−55.9%$324,300
- Lake County−55.9%$324,300
- Lassen County−63.9%$265,300
- Los Angeles County+13.5%$834,200
- Madera County−46.5%$393,200
- Marin County+105.2%$1,507,300
- Mariposa County−47.2%$387,900
- Mendocino County−30.3%$512,200
- Merced County−46.7%$391,800
- Modoc County−69.4%$224,700
- Mono County−13.0%$639,400
- Monterey County+6.3%$781,000
- Napa County+18.3%$869,500
- Nevada County−15.4%$621,800
- Orange County+31.0%$962,600
- Placer County−6.3%$688,100
- Plumas County−51.0%$360,200
- Riverside County−24.1%$557,300
- Sacramento County−27.3%$534,200
- San Benito County+8.0%$793,400
- San Bernardino County−31.3%$505,000
- San Diego County+16.3%$854,700
- San Francisco County+89.8%$1,394,500
- San Joaquin County−27.8%$530,700
- San Luis Obispo County+12.2%$824,700
- San Mateo County+112.3%$1,559,600
- Santa Barbara County+7.6%$790,700
- Santa Clara County+102.9%$1,490,600
- Santa Cruz County+39.9%$1,027,500
- Shasta County−50.1%$366,400
- Sierra County−54.8%$331,900
- Siskiyou County−57.9%$309,500
- Solano County−15.9%$617,700
- Sonoma County+11.0%$815,500
- Stanislaus County−38.7%$450,100
- Sutter County−41.0%$433,500
- Tehama County−53.8%$339,600
- Trinity County−55.7%$325,800
- Tulare County−55.1%$330,100
- Tuolumne County−41.0%$433,200
- Ventura County+12.0%$822,700
- Yolo County−15.5%$620,700
- Yuba County−43.9%$412,300
What this figure is
It is not a sale price. The Census Bureau asks homeowners what they think their home would sell for, and this is the middle answer for owner-occupied homes in California. It covers every kind of home people own and live in, from condos to large houses, so the price of a particular house on the market can be far from it.
The figure describes the whole of 2020–2024, not a single year, and it is not adjusted for price changes since then. A survey always carries some uncertainty: the true value is very likely within $1,307 of the one shown.
Common questions
How much does a house cost in California?
- The median home value in California is $734,700, from Census Bureau survey data for 2020–2024. Half of owner-occupied homes are valued above that and half below.
What is the average home price in California?
- The Census Bureau publishes a median rather than an average: $734,700 for 2020–2024. It is what owners estimate their homes would sell for, not a record of recent sale prices.
How much is a monthly mortgage payment in California?
- Homeowners with a mortgage in California pay a median of $2,946 a month. That covers the mortgage payment together with property taxes, insurance and utilities.
What is the average rent in California?
- Median gross rent in California is $2,036 a month for 2020–2024. Gross rent is the rent itself plus the utilities the renter pays.
Are homes in California expensive compared with other places?
- California has the 3rd highest median home value of 51 states, 120.8% above the U.S. median of $332,700.
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020–2024, tables B25077, B25064 and B25088. Retrieved on October 6, 2026.
About the American Community SurveySource: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020–2024.
Home values in other states
The percentage compares each state with the U.S. median.
- Alabama−36.9%$209,900
- Alaska+6.1%$352,900
- Arizona+18.6%$394,500
- Arkansas−43.5%$188,000
- Colorado+62.1%$539,400
- Connecticut+10.3%$366,900
- Delaware+5.8%$352,000
- District of Columbia+121.6%$737,100
- Florida+7.9%$359,000
- Georgia−8.8%$303,300
- Hawaii+152.2%$839,100
- Idaho+25.8%$418,600
- Illinois−20.9%$263,300
- Indiana−34.4%$218,200
- Iowa−37.5%$208,000
- Kansas−34.7%$217,200
- Kentucky−38.2%$205,600
- Louisiana−34.9%$216,500
- Maine−10.9%$296,600
- Maryland+26.2%$419,900
- Massachusetts+69.0%$562,100
- Michigan−30.4%$231,600
- Minnesota−1.0%$329,300
- Mississippi−49.0%$169,800
- Missouri−30.8%$230,300
- Montana+13.0%$375,800
- Nebraska−28.3%$238,600
- Nevada+30.9%$435,400
- New Hampshire+21.0%$402,500
- New Jersey+36.6%$454,400
- New Mexico−25.4%$248,100
- New York+27.4%$423,800
- North Carolina−13.2%$288,900
- North Dakota−24.9%$249,900
- Ohio−35.4%$214,800
- Oklahoma−39.9%$199,800
- Oregon+43.6%$477,600
- Pennsylvania−23.5%$254,500
- Rhode Island+21.5%$404,200
- South Carolina−22.2%$259,000
- South Dakota−22.6%$257,400
- Tennessee−13.8%$286,700
- Texas−14.7%$283,800
- Utah+47.1%$489,400
- Vermont−4.8%$316,600
- Virginia+15.3%$383,700
- Washington+69.7%$564,600
- West Virginia−51.1%$162,600
- Wisconsin−19.9%$266,500
- Wyoming−6.9%$309,700