Pacific Grove, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Pacific Grove house pays

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

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Pacific Grove house

$22,258a year · $1,855 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,190,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Pacific Grove house at the typical market value ($1,190,400) pays about $22,300 a year: $13,020 property tax and charges, $3,270 water and sewer, $460 trash, $4,020 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:

Low-income households: sewer assistanceMonterey One Water program
Monterey One Water offers a Residential Low-Income Sewer Assistance Program.
How: See the Monterey One Water Current Rates page.
Low-income Cal Am customers: water bill discountDiscount on the bill
Qualifying low-income customers can receive a discount on their bill.
How: Apply with Cal Am for acceptance into the low-income program (tariff Schedule CA-CAP).
Homeowners' exemption: $7,000 off taxable value
The California Constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home.
How: File with the county assessor; the home must be your principal residence on January 1.
Free bulky item reuse events3 events a year
GreenWaste's Pacific Grove residential rate sheet lists 3 annual bulky item reuse collection events as free services.
How: Ask GreenWaste customer service (831) 920-6707.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartJuly 1, 2026 monthly rates for standard curbside service; includes one 65-gallon recycling cart and one 95-gallon organics cart. Backyard service costs more.

Value before exemptionsProp 13 assessed values of long-held homes are often far below this market median: enter the assessed value from your tax bill. Direct charges on the bill (such as parcel-specific levies) are not included, so your bill may be higher than this estimate.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, NAIC data for 2022 as published by 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 3CE generation with PG&E delivery bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Jan, Apr, Jul, OctGreenWaste invoices Pacific Grove residential customers quarterly, in January, April, July and October.
Every other monthMonterey One Water bills customers every other month.

Who serves this house

Water: Cal Am Water Company - Monterey; Cal Am tariff MO-1-SF: a 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter service charge per month plus tiered rates per 100 gallons.
Property tax: 1.10% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Monterey County
Garbage: GreenWaste Recovery; GreenWaste Recovery began providing services to the residents and businesses of the City of Pacific Grove on August 1, 2015.
Sewer: Monterey One Water bill; For parcels in Pacific Grove, the Monterey One Water bill also includes the city's collection fee.
Gas: PG&E; Schedule G-1 applies everywhere within PG&E’s natural gas Service Territory.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Service area: Cal Am's Monterey single-family tariff territory lists the incorporated city of Pacific Grove.
Franchise fee: A surcharge on each bill collects a franchise fee of 1.218% in the City of Pacific Grove.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Property tax: 1% plus the 2026-27 Monterey Peninsula Community College bond (0.028239%) and Pacific Grove USD bond (0.072022%) rates from the county's 2026-27 debt service rates; the tax rate area with the most homes was not confirmed and other areas of the city may differ. Direct charges (such as parcel-specific levies) are not sourced or included.
Water: Cal Am tariff MO-1-SF rates per 100 gallons plus the 0.5522 and 0.0353 per-100-gallon surcharges, converted to CCF by 7.48, then multiplied by 1.01218 for the 1.218% Pacific Grove franchise fee (applied to the meter charge too); the 0.0909 surcharge is left out because the tariff says it ran for 12 months from March 2025; tier breakpoints are assumed monthly; the MPWMD fee and CAP surcharge are not folded in; 9 ccf a month is an assumed use.
Sewer: Monterey One Water $57.27 per month (adoption for 2026-27 not independently confirmed) plus the city's $69.66 bimonthly residential collection fee divided by 2.
Electricity: 3CE E-1 comparison total (3Cchoice generation + PG&E delivery + PCIA/FF) used for all use; PG&E base services charge of $0.79343 a day as the fixed charge. Gas: PG&E G-1 with public purpose surcharge; baseline territory T.
Value is the Census median market value; Prop 13 assessed values are often lower.
Water: the listed bill charges include the purchased-water and purchased-power surcharges and the 1.218% Pacific Grove franchise fee, and exclude the MPWMD fee and Customer Assistance Program surcharge.
Sewer: board adoption of the $57.27 rate for 2026-27 was proposed in a June 2026 news report ahead of a June 29 vote and not independently confirmed.
Gas: the public purpose surcharge shown is the non-CARE residential rate; CARE customers pay $0.07522 per therm.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Pacific Grove compares

A typical Pacific Grove house against the 110 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Pacific Grove	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.10%	1.13%	lower than 83 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$2,161	$955	higher than 109 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,105	$584	higher than 70 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$459	$438	higher than 60 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$4,021	$3,556	higher than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 108 other California cities we cover
Total	$22,258	$15,240	higher than 97 of the other 109 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: Pacific Grove's property tax rate is 1.10%, lower than 83 of the other 109 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Pacific Grove is 1.10%, lower than 83 of the other 109 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 $2,161 a year at typical use, higher than 109 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $2,161 a year at typical use, higher than 109 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,105 a year, higher than 70 of the other 76 California cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $1,105 a year, higher than 70 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $4,021 a year, higher than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $4,021 a year for a typical house, higher than 98 of the other 109 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 Pacific Grove house costs

What is the property tax rate in Pacific Grove?

About 1.10% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Monterey County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $5,424 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption.

How much is the water bill in Pacific Grove?

About $272 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Cal Am Water Company - Monterey.

How much does trash pickup cost in Pacific Grove?

$38 to $76 a month, depending on the trash cart size (32-gal garbage, standard curbside, 65-gal garbage, standard curbside, 95-gal garbage, standard curbside).

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Pacific Grove?

Low-income households: sewer assistance: Monterey One Water offers a Residential Low-Income Sewer Assistance Program. See the Monterey One Water Current Rates page.

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

All California cities All cities