How much do homeowners pay a month in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Name: Homeowner costs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Homeowners with a mortgage in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA pay a median of $3,476 (±$118) a month in selected owner costs (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Owners without a mortgage pay $983 (±$64).

80.5% of owned homes carry a mortgage.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the median monthly cost with a mortgage went from $2,952 in 2015–2019 to $3,476 in 2020–2024 (+17.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

With a mortgage: $3,476 (±$118)
Without a mortgage: $983 (±$64)
Owned with a mortgage: 80.5%

Monthly owner costs in Rancho Santa Margarita

Median selected monthly owner costs, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
With a mortgage	$3,476 (±$118)	$3,385 (±$21)	$2,946 (±$5)	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$983 (±$64)	$902 (±$12)	$829 (±$3)	$638
Owned homes with a mortgage	80.5% (±2.6 points)	67.0% (±0.5 points)	67.4% (±0.1 points)	60.6%
Median real estate taxes (a year)	$6,413 (±$240)	$6,330 (±$53)	$5,124 (±$17)	$3,119

Selected monthly owner costs are the mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance, utilities, fuels and any condominium or mobile-home fees.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the median cost with a mortgage is not measurably different from Orange County ($3,385).

It is also higher than in California ($2,946).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,963).

In Orange County, Rancho Santa Margarita ranks 20 of 42 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median monthly cost with a mortgage.

Statewide, it ranks 245 of 1,051.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How owner costs in Rancho Santa Margarita have changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median owner cost with a mortgage	$2,952 (±$70)	$3,476 (±$118)	+17.8%	Down after inflation
Median real estate taxes	$5,707 (±$164)	$6,413 (±$240)	+12.4%	Down after inflation
Median home value	$662,200 (±$12,583)	$971,200 (±$33,726)	+46.7%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median monthly cost with a mortgage in places near Rancho Santa Margarita

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Rancho Santa Margarita
Place	Distance	Median monthly cost with a mortgage	Compared with this place
Rancho Santa Margarita	—	$3,476 (±$118)	—
Coto de Caza	2.5 mi	$4,000 or more	—
Trabuco Canyon	3.2 mi	$3,380 (±$724)	Not measurably different
Las Flores	3.6 mi	$4,000 or more	—
Mission Viejo	3.7 mi	$3,382 (±$91)	Not measurably different
Lake Forest	4.7 mi	$3,285 (±$91)	Lower
Ladera Ranch	6.3 mi	$4,000 or more	—
Laguna Hills	6.3 mi	$3,521 (±$193)	Not measurably different
Laguna Woods	7.7 mi	$2,196 (±$105)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lake Forest, CA ($3,285), Laguna Woods, CA ($2,196).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median monthly cost with a mortgage across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median monthly cost with a mortgage
14	Yorba Linda	$3,793 (±$109)
15	Seal Beach	$3,769 (±$272)
16	Laguna Niguel	$3,755 (±$230)
17	Laguna Hills	$3,521 (±$193)
18	Huntington Beach	$3,495 (±$99)
19	San Juan Capistrano	$3,481 (±$223)
20	Rancho Santa Margarita	$3,476 (±$118)
21	La Palma	$3,468 (±$215)
22	Placentia	$3,434 (±$143)
23	Brea	$3,411 (±$153)
24	Mission Viejo	$3,382 (±$91)
25	Trabuco Canyon	$3,380 (±$724)
26	Orange	$3,339 (±$109)

Showing 13 of 42 places in Orange County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Rancho Santa Margarita

What is the average mortgage payment in Rancho Santa Margarita?

The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is $3,476 (±$118) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.

How much does it cost to own a paid-off home in Rancho Santa Margarita?

Owners without a mortgage in Rancho Santa Margarita pay a median of $983 (±$64) a month in taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Has the cost of owning a home in Rancho Santa Margarita gone up?

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the median monthly cost with a mortgage went from $2,952 in 2015–2019 to $3,476 in 2020–2024 (+17.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Rancho Santa Margarita city, California (place:59587, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25088_002E, B25088_002M, B25103_001E, B25103_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0101E, DP04_0101M, DP04_0109E, DP04_0109M, DP04_0091PE, DP04_0091PM, B25103_001E, B25103_001M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.