Los Angeles, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles house

$13,662a year · $1,139 a month

Starts at $561,465 of value before exemptions. 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 typical Los Angeles house costs about $13,700 a year: $6,600 property tax and charges, $2,090 water and sewer, $710 trash, $2,760 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 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:

Homeowners' exemption: $7,000 off assessed value
The California Constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home.
How: File one claim with the county assessor.
Income-qualified: residential billing discounts
LA Sanitation lists residential billing discounts and rebates.
How: See the LASAN rates and billing page.
Sewer Service Charge financial assistance
The City currently offers financial assistance for the Sewer Service Charge to households in need.
How: See LA Sanitation sewer service charge page.

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. These rates are for the Los Angeles Unified part of the city.

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 LADWP 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 LA County (filing runs July 2 to November 30).
Dec 10in 36 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late 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) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Who serves this house

Water: LADWP; LADWP Schedule A, single-family, July-December 2026 total consumption charge per HCF.
Property tax: 1.17% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County (tax rate area 00016)
Garbage: City of Los Angeles (LA Sanitation); Solid Resources Fee appears on the LADWP utility bill.
Sewer: LA Sanitation; Sewer rates are based on billable units (HCF) of water used.
Electricity: LADWP; LADWP R-1A is the standard residential electric rate, by Zone 1 or Zone 2.
Gas: SoCalGas; SoCalGas serves natural gas within the City of Los Angeles.

Pay or manage your bills

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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 (LADWP Schedule A, single-family, July-December 2026 total consumption charge): $11.794, $14.278 and $15.024 per HCF for Tiers 1-3, no fixed meter charge: LADWP's Schedule A (Water Rates Ordinance 184130) bills single-dwelling water per hundred cubic feet only, and MWD's LADWP rate summary says there are no fixed monthly charges except for private fire service. Tier sizes depend on lot size and season; we use the under-7,500 sq ft lot group, winter (Oct-May) and summer (Jun-Sep) blocks averaged over the year: Tier 1 to 8 HCF, Tier 2 to 13, Tier 3 to 23 a month. Adjustment factors change in January and July; the total uses the July-December 2026 rates for all 12 months, which LADWP lists below its January-June 2026 rates (e.g. Tier 1 $12.495). Tier 3 is priced at the Tier 3 rate; Tier 4 is the same $15.024 from July 2026.
Sewer: the single-family Sewer Service Charge of $10.13 per HCF from July 1, 2026 in the City Council staff rate schedule (May 2024; adoption not separately confirmed here), applied to the 6.5 HCF a month (13 bimonthly) the schedule calls typical, because it is billed on winter water use. Trash: the Solid Resources Fee of $59.53 a month from July 1, 2026 (rises to $60.44 on July 1, 2027).
Property tax: tax rate area 00016, the area with the most single-family parcels in the city (114,902 of them): the 1% levy plus Los Angeles Unified, Los Angeles Community College District and Metropolitan Water District rates, less the $7,000 homeowners exemption. Flat charge: Measure W (median single-family parcel in the city). Not included: other county charges that vary by parcel, and any Greater LA County Vector Control assessment, which we did not verify for the city. MWD lists no standby charge for Los Angeles.
Electricity: LADWP R-1A Zone 1 (monthly tiers 350 and 700 kWh; Zone 2 homes get larger Tier 1 and 2 blocks), 2026 total consumption charges averaged over the year by months, plus the $7.90 Tier 2 Power Access Charge; the 10% electricity users tax applies. Typical use is LADWP residential average from EIA (about 485 kWh a month). Gas: derived from SoCalGas's August 2026 average bill ($68.91 for 35 therms) and the $0.16 a day fixed charge dated September 2025, not a tariff, with the 10% gas users tax. Insurance: 2022 California average (older than 2026).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Los Angeles compares

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

Per year	Los Angeles	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.17%	1.13%	higher than 209 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$1,304	$927	higher than 238 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$790	$596	higher than 137 of the other 196 California cities we cover
Trash	$714	$452	higher than 245 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,764	$3,421	lower than 256 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	$13,662	$14,432	lower than 162 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 $1,304 a year at typical use, higher than 238 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,304 a year at typical use, higher than 238 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $714 a year for the standard cart, higher than 245 of the other 267 California cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $714 a year for the standard cart, higher than 245 of the other 267 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,764 a year, lower than 256 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 $2,764 a year for a typical house, lower than 256 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 Los Angeles house costs

What is the property tax rate in Los Angeles?

About 1.17% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County (tax rate area 00016)), plus flat charges on the same bill (LA County Measure W Safe Clean Water tax (median single-family parcel) $93).

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

About $5,877 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $93 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Los Angeles?

About $174 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on LADWP.

How much does trash pickup cost in Los Angeles?

$60 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Los Angeles?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Los Angeles?

Income-qualified: residential billing discounts: LA Sanitation lists residential billing discounts and rebates. See the LASAN rates and billing page.

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

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