Orange County, CA real estate

What the numbers say

Orange County, CA real estate at a glance

By AstroCore · Realtor.com, US Census and Freddie Mac data

In September 2026, the median home in Orange County listed for $1,287,500, down 6.5% from a year earlier. That is 78% above the California median of $725,000.

Homes spent a median of 53 days on the market, faster than 57 days a year ago. That makes Orange County the #13 fastest-selling of 42 California counties we track.

Homeowners in Orange County pay a median of $6,330 a year in property taxes on a median home value of $962,600, an effective rate of about 0.66%. The California average is 0.70%, which makes Orange County the #14 lowest-tax of 58 counties in the state with published tax data.

Renters pay a median of $2,434 a month, and $2,460 for a two-bedroom. At today's prices a typical home costs about 44 times a year's rent, which generally favors renting over buying in the short term.

With 20% down and today's 7.24% average 30-year rate, the monthly payment on a $1,288,000 home here comes to about $8,261 including property tax and insurance. Lenders typically want that to be under 28% of income, which works out to roughly $354,000 a year (the median household here earns $116,289).