San Juan Capistrano, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a San Juan Capistrano 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 San Juan Capistrano house

$16,657a year · $1,388 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $993,800; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A San Juan Capistrano house at the typical market value ($993,800) costs about $16,700 a year: $10,120 property tax and charges, $1,550 water and sewer, $340 trash, $3,160 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

One change saves this house about $33 a year:

Bring water use down to 8 units
$33 a year
Above 8 units a month, Santa Margarita Water District charges $4.12 a unit instead of $3.55.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.

Worth checking

Switch to the 35-gallon cart set (refuse, recycle, green waste) cartUp to $15 a year
Your cart costs $28 a month; the smallest costs $27. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call CR&R Customer Service at 877-728-0446, Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm.
Low income: CARE discount on SDG&E and SoCalGas30-35% off electric, 20% off gas
Low-income customers enrolled in CARE get a 30-35% discount on their electric bill and 20% on their natural gas bill.
How: Contact SDG&E or SoCalGas, or apply on their websites.
Income slightly above CARE limits: FERA electric discount18% off electric
Families whose income slightly exceeds the CARE limits may qualify for FERA, an 18% discount on electricity bills.
How: To request an application form, contact your utility company or visit its website.
Free bulky item pickups
CR&R lists bulky item call service at $0.00 for up to four items; the fifth and later items are $15.34 each.
How: Call CR&R Customer Service at 877-728-0446.
Water-saving rebates from SMWD$125 smart timer; $2 per sq ft of turf
Santa Margarita Water District offers rebates through partners, including $125 for a smart sprinkler timer, $100 for a clothes washer, $40 for a toilet and $2 per square foot for residential turf removal.
How: See the SMWD rebate programs page before you buy or remove turf.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartCR&R single-family rates effective 7/1/2026 to 6/30/2027 for a set of 3 carts of the same size.

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. Some neighborhoods are in other tax rate areas with extra school or district bond rates, and newer tracts may pay Mello-Roos special taxes that are not included here. Your own amounts are on your tax 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 San Juan Capistrano house uses about 12.83.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your SDG&E bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30, 2026in 37 daysLast day to file a 2026 regular assessment appeal in Orange County (filing runs July 2 to November 30 at 5:00 p.m.).
Dec 10in 47 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 114 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 delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Who serves this house

Water: Santa Margarita Water District; Santa Margarita Water District rates effective March 1, 2026: a monthly fixed base charge of $30.09 for a residential 3/4-, 5/8- or 1-inch meter, then $3.55 per CCF for Tier 1 (the indoor budget), $4.12 for Tier 2 (up to 100% of the total indoor and outdoor water budget) and $5.16 for Tier 3 (use above the total budget).
Property tax: 1.02% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 23-001)
Garbage: CR&R; CR&R is the franchise hauler for San Juan Capistrano; a standard set is three carts (refuse, recycle, green waste) in 35, 65 or 96 gallons.
Sewer: Santa Margarita Water District; The City's sewer utility transferred to SMWD in November 2021 for customers in San Juan Capistrano.
Electricity: San Diego Gas & Electric; The City's solar permit page says Renewable Meter Adapter installs must be approved by SDG&E and lists an SDG&E work order; SDG&E reported a blackout affecting 7,840 customer accounts in the San Juan Capistrano area.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Imported treated surface water from the Metropolitan Water District (Colorado River and State Water Project) and treated surface water from Irvine Ranch Water District's Baker Water Treatment Plant (2026 report on 2025).
Hardness: Distribution system average 256 ppm total hardness as CaCO3 (15 grains per gallon), range 210 to 300, tested in 2025.
Lead: Lead was not detected in any of 52 homes sampled in 2024; 0 of 52 sites exceeded the 15 ppb action level.
Standards: The District reports that the water delivered to homes meets or surpasses federal and state quality standards.

If your water bill is from a provider other than Santa Margarita Water District, these rates do not apply; check your bill.

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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 and sewer: Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) rates effective March 1, 2026; the City says its water and sewer utilities transferred to SMWD for customers in San Juan Capistrano. We have not counted what share of homes SMWD serves; a home billed by another provider is not covered. Water is $30.09 a month for a standard residential meter plus $3.55 per CCF up to the indoor budget, which we take as SMWD's standard 4 persons x 47 gallons a day = about 7.6 CCF a month, and $4.12 per CCF above it. Each home's outdoor budget depends on its own landscaped area, so we don't model where Tier 3 ($5.16 per CCF above the total budget) starts, nor SMWD's pumping-zone power surcharge. Sewer is SMWD's $38.32 a month single-family charge plus $1.61 per CCF on use up to the same indoor budget. The page starts at 12.83 CCF a month, the average single-family use in SMWD's 2025 rate study (FY 2025 single-family consumption divided by single-family meters and 12 months); it covers the whole district, not only San Juan Capistrano.
Trash: CR&R's single-family cart service rates in the City's schedule effective 7/1/2026 to 6/30/2027 ($27.16, $28.45 and $31.03 a month for a set of three 35-, 65- or 96-gallon carts).
Property tax: tax rate area 23-001, 1.02314% for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book (the 1% general levy, the City of San Juan Capistrano 2008 bond fund at 0.01464% and the Metropolitan Water District's 0.0085%). Most San Juan Capistrano tax rate areas in that book show the same 1.02314% total; a few differ, and the book lists no Capistrano Unified school bond rate in them. The $7,000 homeowners' exemption comes off the value you enter. Flat charges: the Metropolitan Water District standby charge ($10.09 per parcel under an acre in MWDOC territory) and the two countywide Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District assessments ($9.34 and $1.92 for a single-family home). Mello-Roos or other special taxes that only some parcels carry are not included. The starting value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year median market value ($993,800); under Prop 13 a home's assessed value can be far lower.
Electricity: SDG&E's TOU-DR1 schedule, the City's solar permit page names SDG&E as the utility for solar interconnection. SDG&E's published TOU-DR1 prices vary by season and time of day, so we use an average: its April 2026 rate alert puts the average non-CARE bill at 400 kWh a month at $194, which less the $24.13 monthly Base Services Charge ($0.79343 a day) gives $0.4247 per kWh. Gas: we use SoCalGas's August 2026 average non-CARE bill ($68.91 at 35 therms), taken as including the $0.16-a-day customer charge (about $4.87 a month), so $4.87 a month plus $1.830 per therm; no City source confirms SoCalGas as the gas utility here. Both are averages; real bills vary by season and time of use.
Insurance starts at the 2022 California average; actual quotes depend on the home and may differ."] Modelling: electric per-kWh = ($194 April 2026 average bill - $0.79343/day x 365/12 = $24.13) / 400 kWh = $0.4247 (derived, not a published rate; mixes April 2026 bill with the Aug 2026 charge). Gas per-therm = ($68.91 - $0.16/day x 365/12 = $4.87) / 35 therms = $1.830, applying the Sept 2025 fixed charge to the Aug 2026 bill.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How San Juan Capistrano compares

A typical San Juan Capistrano house against the 207 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	San Juan Capistrano	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.02%	1.13%	lower than 203 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Water	$943	$944	lower than 104 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$608	$582	higher than 75 of the other 136 California cities we cover
Trash	$341	$443	lower than 161 of the other 187 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,155	$3,463	lower than 153 of the other 206 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 201 other California cities we cover
Total	$16,657	$14,973	higher than 136 of the other 206 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: San Juan Capistrano's property tax rate is 1.02%, lower than 203 of the other 206 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in San Juan Capistrano is 1.02%, lower than 203 of the other 206 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $341 a year for the standard cart, lower than 161 of the other 187 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 $341 a year for the standard cart, lower than 161 of the other 187 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about San Juan Capistrano house costs

What is the property tax rate in San Juan Capistrano?

About 1.02% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 23-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Metropolitan Water District water standby charge $10, OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: mosquito, fire ant and disease control assessment (District No. 2) $9, OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: vector surveillance and control assessment (District No. 1) $2).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in San Juan Capistrano?

About $5,065 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $21 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in San Juan Capistrano?

About $129 a month for water and sewer at typical use (12.83 units, or 9,597 gallons a month) on Santa Margarita Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in San Juan Capistrano?

$27 to $31 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon cart set (refuse, recycle, green waste), 65-gallon cart set (refuse, recycle, green waste), 96-gallon cart set (refuse, recycle, green waste)).

When is property tax due in San Juan Capistrano?

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) is delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in San Juan Capistrano?

Low income: CARE discount on SDG&E and SoCalGas: Low-income customers enrolled in CARE get a 30-35% discount on their electric bill and 20% on their natural gas bill. Contact SDG&E or SoCalGas, or apply on their websites.

How much does a house in San Juan Capistrano cost to run each year?

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