Finance · California

California Mortgage Calculator (2026)

Calculate your monthly payment with California-specific property tax (0.75%) and average insurance ($1,450/yr).

California defaults: property tax ≈ 0.75% of home value · homeowners insurance ≈ $1,450/year · median home value ≈ $776,000. The calculator is preset with these — adjust for your situation.
Standard loan; PMI if DP < 20%, drops at 78% LTV.
Annual costs

Monthly payment

$5,543.31
PITI + PMI/MIP

Payment breakdown

Principal & interest
$4,646.47
Property tax
$485.00
Insurance
$120.83
PMI
Drops month 115
$291.00
Total monthly
$5,543.31

Loan summary

Loan amount
90.0% LTV
$698,400
Total interest paid
$974,330

Amortization schedule (first 12 + every 12 months)

MonthPrincipalInterestPMI/MIPBalance
1$572.47$4,074.00$291.00$697,828
2$575.81$4,070.66$291.00$697,252
3$579.17$4,067.30$291.00$696,673
4$582.55$4,063.92$291.00$696,090
5$585.95$4,060.52$291.00$695,504
6$589.37$4,057.11$291.00$694,915
7$592.80$4,053.67$291.00$694,322
8$596.26$4,050.21$291.00$693,726
9$599.74$4,046.73$291.00$693,126
10$603.24$4,043.23$291.00$692,523
11$606.76$4,039.72$291.00$691,916
12$610.30$4,036.18$291.00$691,306
24$654.42$3,992.06$291.00$683,698
36$701.72$3,944.75$291.00$675,541
48$752.45$3,894.02$291.00$666,794
60$806.85$3,839.63$291.00$657,415
72$865.17$3,781.30$291.00$647,358
84$927.72$3,718.76$291.00$636,574
96$994.78$3,651.69$291.00$625,010
108$1,066.69$3,579.78$291.00$612,610
120$1,143.80$3,502.67$599,314
132$1,226.49$3,419.98$585,056
144$1,315.15$3,331.32$569,768
156$1,410.23$3,236.25$553,375
168$1,512.17$3,134.30$535,797
180$1,621.49$3,024.99$516,948
192$1,738.70$2,907.77$496,736
204$1,864.39$2,782.08$475,063
216$1,999.17$2,647.30$451,824
228$2,143.69$2,502.78$426,905
240$2,298.66$2,347.81$400,184
252$2,464.83$2,181.64$371,531
264$2,643.01$2,003.46$340,807
276$2,834.07$1,812.40$307,863
288$3,038.95$1,607.52$272,536
300$3,258.64$1,387.84$234,656
312$3,494.20$1,152.27$194,038
324$3,746.80$899.67$150,483
336$4,017.66$628.82$103,779
348$4,308.09$338.38$53,700
360$4,619.53$26.95$0

What the payment actually costs

Expect roughly $3,000 a year in property tax on a $400,000 home here. California's effective rate of 0.75% ranks 36th of 51, compared with about 1.10% nationally — $250 a month that never appears in a quoted mortgage payment.

Homeowners insurance runs about $1,450 a year in California, 26th of 51 states and below the $1,552 national average. Together, tax and insurance add roughly $371 a month to the payment before you have paid a dollar of principal.

How this fits the rest of your tax bill

The trade-off runs the other way here. California property tax is low at 0.75% — 36th of 51 — but the state does tax income. Owners get off comparatively lightly; the cost shows up on the pay stub instead, which favours buyers with modest incomes and large homes over high earners in small ones.

Housing costs compound with the rate. California runs about 18% above national-average costs, so the same 0.75% rate applies to a larger assessed value than it would elsewhere. A percentage rate is only half the number that matters; the base it applies to is the other half.

Property tax rates are effective statewide averages; your county assessor sets the actual figure and it varies widely within a state. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the average property tax rate in California?
California's effective property tax rate is approximately 0.75% of home value per year. On a $776,000 home, that's about $5,820 per year (or $485/month). The calculator above uses this as the default — adjust if your specific county is higher or lower.
What's a typical homeowners insurance cost in California?
The average annual homeowners insurance premium in California is around $1,450 for a typical home. High-risk states (Florida, Louisiana, Texas) tend to be higher due to hurricane/flood/wildfire exposure; low-cost states (Oregon, Hawaii, DC) sit at $1,000 or less.
How much do I need to put down on a California mortgage?
Conventional loans typically require 5-20% down. FHA allows just 3.5% down with a 580+ credit score. VA loans (military) allow 0% down. Putting 20%+ avoids PMI entirely on conventional loans, saving you 0.5-1% of the loan amount per year.
What credit score do I need to buy a home in California?
Conventional: 620 minimum (740+ for best rates). FHA: 580 with 3.5% down, or 500 with 10% down. VA: most lenders want 620 even though VA itself has no minimum. Higher credit = lower rate = thousands in savings over the life of the loan.
Should I rent or buy in this market?
Generally buying makes sense if you plan to stay 5+ years and your monthly payment (including taxes, insurance, maintenance) is within ~30% of your gross income. Use the calculator above to see your real monthly cost — many buyers underestimate the non-mortgage costs by 30-40%.

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