Estimate your full monthly payment — principal, interest, Prop 13 property tax, insurance, Mello-Roos, HOA, and PMI — with a complete amortization schedule and jumbo-loan check.
Estimate only. Rates, taxes, insurance, and Mello-Roos vary by lender, county, and property. Confirm property tax with your county assessor and the transfer tax with the county recorder.
A California mortgage payment has the same four parts as anywhere — principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITI) — but California's Proposition 13 property tax rules, lack of a state transfer tax, Mello-Roos districts, and high loan balances change the math in ways national calculators miss.
Proposition 13 caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value, and the key detail for buyers is that your assessed value is reset to the price you pay at purchase. Local voter-approved bonds and direct assessments add roughly 0.1%–0.25%, so the effective rate is usually 1.1%–1.25%. After you own the home, Prop 13 limits assessed-value growth to a maximum of 2% per year, no matter how fast the market rises — which is why long-time owners often pay far less than new buyers on an identical house. Always estimate your tax from the purchase price, not Zillow's current value.
Unlike many states, California levies no statewide real estate transfer tax. The standard charge is the county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price — about $935 on an $850,000 home. Some cities add their own transfer tax on top, and a few are very large.
| Location | Transfer Tax | On an $850,000 Sale |
|---|---|---|
| County only (most of CA) | $1.10 / $1,000 | ~$935 |
| City of Los Angeles* | $4.50 / $1,000 + Measure ULA | ~$3,825 (ULA adds 4%–5.5% over ~$5.3M) |
| San Francisco | $6.80–$30 / $1,000 (tiered) | ~$5,780 |
| Oakland | $10–$25 / $1,000 (tiered) | ~$12,750 |
| Berkeley | $15–$25 / $1,000 | ~$12,750 |
| San Jose | $1.10 + $3.30–$15 / $1,000 | ~$3,740 |
*City rates are approximate and tiered by price — confirm with the city/county recorder. This calculator estimates the standard county $1.10/$1,000 only.
Many newer California subdivisions sit in a Community Facilities District (Mello-Roos), a special tax that funds local infrastructure and is billed on top of your Prop 13 tax. It commonly adds $1,000–$5,000+ per year and is not subject to the 2% Prop 13 cap. Ask the seller or HOA for the exact annual amount and enter it above so your payment estimate is realistic.
Because California prices are high, loan size matters. For 2026 the conforming limit is $832,750 in standard counties and $1,249,125 in high-cost counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, and others). Loans above the limit are jumbo loans — typically needing a larger down payment, stronger credit, and sometimes a different rate. The calculator flags a jumbo loan when your amount exceeds the tier you select.
Put less than 20% down on a conventional loan and you'll pay private mortgage insurance — typically 0.3%–1.0% of the loan per year (this calculator uses 0.5%), which falls off near 20%–22% equity. Because 20% of an $850,000 home is $170,000, many California buyers use PMI or a CalHFA assistance program rather than wait years to save the full amount.
On California's large loan balances, interest is by far the biggest lifetime cost. Adding even a modest extra principal payment each month shortens the loan and can save six figures. Enter an extra payment above to see your new payoff date and total interest saved.