Desert Hot Springs, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Desert Hot Springs home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Desert Hot Springs house

$12,267a year · $1,022 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $354,800; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Shopping for home insurance?

Insurers charge very different prices for the same house and coverage. California's free premium survey lists each insurer's price.

Compare insurers' prices

A Desert Hot Springs house at the typical market value ($354,800) costs about $12,300 a year: $4,670 property tax and charges, $660 water, $560 trash, $4,880 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Income-qualified: SCE CARE rate32.5% off the electric bill
Through SCE's CARE program, qualifying households receive 32.5% off their electric bills and a Base Services Charge of about $6 a month.
How: Apply with SCE's CARE/FERA online application; no additional documentation is required.
Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through SoCalGas's CARE program if you or another person in your household receives benefits such as Medi-Cal or CalFresh, or by household income.
How: Apply with SoCalGas's online CARE application.
Free bulky item pickup
Residential and single-family customers are eligible for free collection of bulky waste through Desert Valley Disposal, including appliances, furniture, tires and eWaste.
How: Schedule through Desert Valley Disposal, (760) 329-5030.
Claim the homeowners' exemption
The California Constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home.
How: The home must have been your principal residence on January 1.

Adjust to match your bills

What you know

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 your assessed value starts at your purchase price and can rise at most 2% a year, so it is often far below market: use the assessed value on your tax bill. Newer tracts can also carry Community Facilities District or lighting and landscape assessments; these are not in the total, so check your bill.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, NAIC data via the Insurance Information Institute; California figures from the California Department of Insurance.

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical Desert Hot Springs house uses about 13.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Southern California Edison bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30, 2026in 26 daysLast day to file a 2026 regular assessment appeal in Riverside County (filing period July 2 to November 30, 2026).
Dec 10in 36 daysFirst property tax installment is due Nov 1 and becomes delinquent Dec 10; taxes not paid by the delinquent date get a 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 103 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for the year.
Apr 10Second property tax installment is due Feb 1 and becomes delinquent Apr 10; taxes not paid by the delinquent date get a 10% penalty.

Who serves this house

Water: Mission Springs Water District; MSWD bills single-family customers a fixed monthly charge by meter size (¾-inch $14.73) plus a two-tier water flow charge per CCF: Tier One $2.47 for the first 13 CCF a month and Tier Two $3.38 above that. A Desert Water Agency assessment of approximately $0.60 per CCF is added to the bill.
Property tax: 1.14% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Riverside County (tax rate area 014-001, Desert Hot Springs: Palm Springs Unified, Desert Community College and Desert Water Agency)
Sewer: Mission Springs Water District; Sewer fees for residential properties are billed annually on the property tax bill.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; Desert Hot Springs lists Southern California Edison for paying electricity bills.
Gas: SoCalGas; Desert Hot Springs lists SoCalGas for paying gas bills.
Schools: Palm Springs Unified + Desert Community College; The Riverside County tax rates for Desert Hot Springs tax rate area 014-001 include Palm Springs Unified School District and Desert Community College.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: MSWD's water comes from groundwater wells within the Mission Creek Subbasin.
Chromium-6: MSWD reports hexavalent chromium was detected at levels that exceed the MCL, and says a water system of its size is not considered in violation until after October 2026.
PFAS: MSWD says it is fully compliant with all current PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels set by the EPA.
Lead: MSWD says it completed its service line inventory and no lead service lines were found in its system.

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How these numbers are made

Individual bills are confidential in California, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Water: Mission Springs Water District's single-family rates: $14.73 a month for the 3/4-inch meter, Tier One $2.47 per CCF up to 13 CCF, Tier Two $3.38 above, each plus the roughly $0.60 per CCF Desert Water Agency assessment the district passes through; the 7% utility users tax is applied to water charges (the district excludes the assessment, which this slightly overstates). The typical use of 13 CCF a month is the one MSWD's rate study uses for a typical single-family customer.
Sewer: $53.75 a month for a single-family home, billed annually on the property tax bill, plus the city's 7% utility users tax: 53.75 x 12 x 1.07 = $690.15. Trash: Desert Valley Disposal's maximum rate for the default 3-cart bundle from July 1, 2026, $46.79 a month ($561.48 a year), billed on the property tax bill.
Property tax: Riverside County's 2026-27 rates (Resolution 2026-153, adopted August 25, 2026) for tax rate area 014-001, one of the many Desert Hot Springs areas that share the same districts: the 1% levy, Palm Springs Unified (0.05644%), Desert Community College (0.035%) and Desert Water Agency (0.05%), about 1.14% in total, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. A few areas pay CVWD's State Water Project rate (0.11%) as well. The starting value is the Census median market value; under Prop 13 a home's assessed value can be far lower.
Fixed charges: the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District assessment ($14.39, FY 2026-27). Not included because they apply to only some parcels: Community Facilities District, lighting and landscape assessments and other direct charges; your tax bill lists them.
Electricity: SCE serves Desert Hot Springs; we use SCE's standard Domestic rate with SCE generation from SCE's comparison for neighboring Palm Springs ($0.36133 per kWh in total, a year-round average) plus the $24.15 Base Services Charge, with the city's 7% utility users tax. Gas: SoCalGas's August 2026 average non-CARE bill ($68.91 at 35 therms) taken as including the $0.16-a-day charge, so $4.87 a month plus $1.830 per therm, plus 7% utility users tax. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Desert Hot Springs compares

A typical Desert Hot Springs house against the 285 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Desert Hot Springs	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.14%	1.13%	higher than 165 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$656	$927	lower than 229 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Trash	$561	$452	higher than 193 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$4,883	$3,421	higher than 284 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	lower than 1 of the other 272 California cities we cover
Total	$12,267	$14,432	lower than 199 of the other 284 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $656 a year at typical use, lower than 229 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $656 a year at typical use, lower than 229 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $4,883 a year, higher than 284 of the other 284 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $4,883 a year for a typical house, higher than 284 of the other 284 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Desert Hot Springs house costs

What is the property tax rate in Desert Hot Springs?

About 1.14% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Riverside County (tax rate area 014-001, Desert Hot Springs: Palm Springs Unified, Desert Community College and Desert Water Agency)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $690, Coachella Valley mosquito, fire ant and disease control assessment $14).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Desert Hot Springs?

About $6,332 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $705 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Desert Hot Springs?

About $55 a month for water at typical use (13 units, or 9,724 gallons a month) on Mission Springs Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Desert Hot Springs?

$47 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Desert Hot Springs?

Dec 10: First property tax installment is due Nov 1 and becomes delinquent Dec 10; taxes not paid by the delinquent date get a 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment is due Feb 1 and becomes delinquent Apr 10; taxes not paid by the delinquent date get a 10% penalty.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Desert Hot Springs?

Income-qualified: SCE CARE rate: Through SCE's CARE program, qualifying households receive 32.5% off their electric bills and a Base Services Charge of about $6 a month. Apply with SCE's CARE/FERA online application; no additional documentation is required.

How much does a house in Desert Hot Springs cost to run each year?

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