The median home price in Santa Rosa is $680,000, while the median household income is $88,400 per year. Using the 30% debt-to-income rule with a 6.36% (Freddie Mac PMMS · week of ) mortgage rate and 20% down payment, you need $157,640/yr to afford it — $69,240 above the median income. On the median income, you can afford a home up to approximately $369,000.
Santa Rosa's cost of living index is 148 (national average = 100). The price-to-income ratio of 7.7x signals a severely unaffordable market where most households will struggle to buy. The local property tax rate is 0.7%, adding $4,828/yr to ownership costs.
Data as of · Sources: Zillow, Census ACS, Tax Foundation, Freddie Mac
See exactly what $X/mo PITI does to your Santa Rosa, CA take-home — open the calc with city defaults.
Open the calculatorFind the max home price you qualify for in Santa Rosa, CA given real PITI + DTI rules.
Based on 20% down, 6.4% 30-year fixed rate (Freddie Mac PMMS · week of ), and the 30% DTI rule. Includes principal, interest, property taxes, insurance, and PMI where applicable.
| Home Price | Income Needed | Monthly PITI | Down Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | $50,600 | $1,265/mo | $40,000 |
| $300,000 | $72,880 | $1,822/mo | $60,000 |
| $500,000 | $117,480 | $2,937/mo | $100,000 |
| $680,000 * | $157,640 | $3,941/mo | $136,000 |
| $750,000 | $173,240 | $4,331/mo | $150,000 |
* Santa Rosa median home price. Assumes 0.7%property tax, $1,800/yr homeowner's insurance.
Saving for $136,000 (20% of $680,000) on the median household income of $88,400.
Saving a 20% down payment in Santa Rosa takes 10.3 years at a 15% savings rate — a significant challenge. Many buyers opt for FHA loans (3.5% down) or conventional loans with 5-10% down and pay PMI instead.
PITI breakdown for the median home ($680,000) at different down payment amounts.
| Down Payment | Principal | Interest | Taxes | Insurance | PMI | Total PITI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5% ($23,800) | $610 | $3,478 | $402 | $150 | $273 | $4,913/mo |
| 5.0% ($34,000) | $600 | $3,424 | $402 | $150 | $269 | $4,845/mo |
| 10.0% ($68,000) | $568 | $3,244 | $402 | $150 | $255 | $4,619/mo |
| 20.0% ($136,000) | $505 | $2,883 | $402 | $150 | $0 | $3,941/mo |
Based on 6.4% 30-year fixed rate (Freddie Mac PMMS · week of ), 0.7% property tax, $1,800/yr insurance. PMI at 0.5% of loan balance for down payments below 20%.
Comparing median rent of $2,100/mo to owning the median home ($680,000) with 20% down.
Verdict: Buying breaks even after about 6 years in Santa Rosa — a reasonable horizon if you plan to stay. Owning costs $1,841/mo more than renting, but builds equity over time.
Compared by price-to-income ratio (lower is more affordable). All data uses median home prices and household incomes.
| City | Median Home | Median Income | Price/Income | Property Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa, CA | $680,000 | $88,400 | 7.7x | 0.7% |
| Riverside, CA | $560,000 | $75,800 | 7.4x | 0.8% |
| San Diego, CA | $875,000 | $91,000 | 9.6x | 0.7% |
| San Jose, CA | $1,350,000 | $137,200 | 9.8x | 0.7% |
| San Francisco, CA | $1,350,000 | $131,000 | 10.3x | 0.6% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $860,000 | $76,000 | 11.3x | 0.7% |
Housing economics in Santa Rosa, CA. The median home value runs 89.9% above the U.S. baseline for Santa Rosa, CA is $680,000 per Zillow's home-value index. Median rent runs $2,100 a month per Zillow ZORI, a premium over the national $1,850 baseline. Effective property tax sits at 0.71% of assessed value, below the 0.99% national average tracked by the Tax Foundation. Lenders in Santa Rosa, CA have quoted 6.36% on the 30-year fixed product over the trailing four-week window per Freddie Mac PMMS — the prevailing posted rate before any borrower-specific lock-ins.
Income and tax climate. Median household income in Santa Rosa, CA reaches $88,400 per the ACS five-year vintage, pulling above the $78,538 U.S. median. CA's top marginal state income tax bracket lands at 13.30% — compared to the volume-weighted national average around 4-5%. BEA's Regional Price Parity scores Santa Rosa, CA at 148.0 (national = 100), meaning a dollar in Santa Rosa, CA buys 68¢ of national purchasing power.
How Santa Rosa, CA's numbers shape the calculator. The mortgage payment, refinance, PMI, and home-affordability calculators all run on three local inputs that swing the answer materially: the prevailing 30-year fixed rate, the effective property tax rate as a share of home value, and the homeowners-insurance premium that the average policyholder is paying for the same coverage envelope. Santa Rosa, CA-specific values for each of those are pre-loaded above so the calculator's default scenario reflects what an actual buyer would see at closing, not a national average that smooths over the differences. Override any field to test a different scenario; the math reruns instantly in your browser without sending the inputs anywhere.
Local context as of 2026-05-28. Live data sources are listed in the Sources section below; each metric carries its own retrieval date.
How does Santa Rosa, CA stack up against the national average on the metrics that drive the calculators on this page? The table below pairs the Santa Rosa, CA-specific reading against the U.S. baseline so you can see at a glance whether your local scenario runs above or below typical. Three to five percentage points of difference on most of these inputs translates into meaningful changes in calculator output — for example, a 50-basis-point difference in mortgage rate moves the monthly payment on a $400,000 30-year loan by roughly $130.
| Metric | Santa Rosa, CA | U.S. baseline | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value[zillow] | $680,000 | $358,000 | 89.9% |
| Median monthly rent[zillow] | $2,100/mo | $1,850/mo | 13.5% |
| Property tax rate (effective)[tax-foundation] | 0.71% | 0.99% | -28.3% |
| Cost-of-living index[bea-rpp] | 148.0 | 100.0 | 48.0 pts |
Walk through the home-affordability check with Santa Rosa, CA defaults pre-loaded from primary sources.
The median home price in Santa Rosa is $680,000 as of 2025. The city's cost of living index is 148 (national average = 100), and the median household income is $88,400.
To afford the median home of $680,000 in Santa Rosa with 20% down and a 6.4% mortgage rate, you need a household income of approximately $157,640 per year. This is based on the 30% debt-to-income rule, where your monthly PITI payment of $3,941 should not exceed 30% of gross monthly income.
The effective property tax rate in Santa Rosa is 0.7%. On the median home price of $680,000, that equals approximately $4,828 per year or $402/month.
The median monthly rent in Santa Rosa is $2,100, while monthly PITI on the median home (20% down) is $3,941. Buying breaks even after about 6 years in Santa Rosa — a reasonable horizon if you plan to stay. Over 5 years, renting costs approximately $133,790 total, while buying costs $392,860 but builds $263,627 in equity.
A 20% down payment on the median Santa Rosa home ($680,000) is $136,000. FHA loans accept as little as 3.5% ($23,800), though that requires mortgage insurance.
Santa Rosa's median household income is $88,400/yr (Census ACS). The cost-of-living index is 148 (US = 100).
Santa Rosa's median home ($680,000) and rent ($2,100/mo) sit alongside California statewide medians, which the table on this page benchmarks against.
Santa Rosa numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income, demographics), and local assessor data (property tax). Each value is timestamped on the page.
Source feeds (Zillow, Freddie Mac PMMS, Census ACS) refresh on their native cadence — hourly for rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.
No. The Santa Rosa affordability calculator is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized mortgage, tax, or financial advice. Talk to a licensed loan officer before signing.
Median home price uses Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)[1]. Median rent uses ZORI; where ZORI is unavailable we fall back to HUD Fair Market Rent[2].
Median household income is the Census ACS 5-year estimate[3].
Property tax rate is the effective rate from the Tax Foundation[4]. Actual millage varies by county.
Mortgage calculations use 6.4% (Freddie Mac PMMS · week of ) national average 30-year fixed rate (PMMS)[5], 30-year term, $1,800/yr homeowners insurance[7], and 0.5% PMI when down payment is below 20%.
"Income needed" uses the 30% front-end DTI rule: monthly PITI ≤ 30% of gross monthly income. The price-to-income ratio (P/I) is computed as median home price / median household income; 3x or below is generally considered affordable, 4–6x challenging, 6x+ severely unaffordable.
Rent vs. buy assumes 3% annual rent inflation, 3.5% annual home price appreciation, 3% closing costs, and compares 5-year cumulative cost. "Breakeven year" is where cumulative ownership cost minus equity falls below cumulative rent.
Federal tax in the take-home calculation uses IRS single filer, standard deduction; state tax applies the top-marginal rate after state standard deduction; FICA = 6.2% SS + 1.45% Medicare.
Context for median sales price cross-references the NAR[6] where applicable.
Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across all sourced data feeding this page.
Home price data from Zillow[1] / NAR[6] (2024–2025). Income data from Census ACS[3]. Property taxes from Tax Foundation[4]. Mortgage calculations assume 6.4% 30-year fixed rate[5], $1,800/yr insurance[7], 0.5% PMI. DTI uses 30% front-end rule. Rent vs. buy assumes 3% annual rent increases and 3.5% annual home appreciation. Last reviewed .