Goleta, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Goleta 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 Goleta house

$18,517a year · $1,543 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,062,100; 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 Goleta house at the typical market value ($1,062,100) costs about $18,500 a year: $11,570 property tax and charges, $1,820 water, $560 trash, $3,070 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:

Switch to the 35-gallon cart cartUp to $60 a year
Your cart costs $47 a month; the smallest costs $42. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit.
How: Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.
Homeowners' exemption$7,000 off taxable value
California reduces the taxable value of a qualifying owner-occupied home by $7,000.
How: File the claim with the County Assessor.
Income-qualified: SCE CARE or FERADiscounted Base Services Charge
Some customers enrolled in income-qualified programs like CARE or FERA receive a discount on SCE's Base Services Charge.
How: Customers enrolled in CARE or FERA receive a discount.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMonthly maximum rates for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 a home is reassessed to market value only on a change of ownership or new construction, so the assessed value on your tax bill is often well below market: use the value on 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 house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) with Southern California Edison delivery bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 36 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 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 (due Feb 1) becomes delinquent Apr 10: 10% penalty if unpaid by then.

Who serves this house

Water: Goleta Water District; Monthly service charge for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter depends on the month's use: $34.84 at 6 HCF or less, $62.51 at 7-12 HCF, $89.14 above; rates effective July 1, 2026.
Property tax: 1.05% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 008-001)
Garbage: MarBorg Industries; MarBorg provides solid waste collection, collection of green waste and recyclables to the City.
Sewer: Goleta Sanitary District; Sewer service charges are collected annually on the property tax bill.
Electricity: Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) with Southern California Edison delivery; The SCE service area includes Goleta.

Pay or manage your bills

Pay your Goleta Water District bill ↗

Your water

Sources: Lake Cachuma, the Goleta Groundwater Basin, recycled water, and imported water from the State Water Project.
Supply: The District has approximately 16,500 AFY of water available for the service area in an average year.
Tiers: Water use above 12 HCF is billed at the highest per unit rate and the highest Monthly Service Charge.

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the 2026-27 Santa Barbara County rate book for tax rate area 008-001 (City of Goleta): 1% plus school and college bonds totaling 0.04512%; all 39 Goleta tax rate areas in the book show the same total of 1.04512.
The starting value is the Census median value of owner-occupied homes ($1,062,100); Prop 13 assessed values are usually lower.
Water uses the monthly service charge for the 7-12 HCF band ($62.51) with the three tiered rates effective July 1, 2026; the service charge steps to $34.84 at 6 HCF or less and $89.14 above 12 HCF.
Sewer is the Goleta Sanitary District single-family charge on the property tax bill ($544.33 a year) and is not counted in water. Part of the city is served by Goleta West Sanitary District, whose rate schedule (FY 2024-2028 study) sets $559 a year for 2026-27; its board adopted the 2026-27 tax-roll report on July 21, 2026, but the charge amount itself sits in a scanned report we could not read, so $559 comes from the study schedule.
Trash uses the City of Goleta's monthly maximum rates for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 from the council staff report (3.20% increase over 2025-26); rates rise each July.
Electricity is SCE delivery with 3CE generation, the default for customers in the SCE service area: the total per-kWh rate plus SCE's $24.15 Base Services Charge. Gas is SoCalGas.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Goleta compares

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

Per year	Goleta	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.05%	1.13%	lower than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$1,820	$927	higher than 277 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Trash	$564	$452	higher than 196 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,069	$3,421	lower than 213 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	$18,517	$14,432	higher than 220 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. Property tax rate

The fact: Goleta's property tax rate is 1.05%, lower than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Goleta is 1.05%, lower than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,820 a year at typical use, higher than 277 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,820 a year at typical use, higher than 277 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,069 a year, lower than 213 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 $3,069 a year for a typical house, lower than 213 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 Goleta house costs

What is the property tax rate in Goleta?

About 1.05% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 008-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $544).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Goleta?

About $5,697 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $544 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Goleta?

About $152 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Goleta Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Goleta?

$42 to $54 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon cart, 65-gallon cart, 95-gallon cart).

When is property tax due in Goleta?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) becomes delinquent Apr 10: 10% penalty if unpaid by then.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Goleta?

Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE: You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit. Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.

How much does a house in Goleta cost to run each year?

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