Santa Cruz, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz house

$22,588a year · $1,882 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,209,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$13,704
1.140% of $1,209,000, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$318
Measure T Santa Cruz City High School District parcel tax $110 · Measure U Santa Cruz City Elementary District parcel tax $208
Electricity and gas$4,341
500 kWh a month $3,032 · 31.72 therms $969 · city utility tax $340
Water and sewer$2,199
5 units (CCF) a month on City of Santa Cruz Water Department: water $99, sewer $75, city utility tax $8 a month
Trash$535
32-gal cart, $45 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

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 Santa Cruz house at the typical market value ($1,209,000) costs about $22,600 a year: $14,020 property tax and charges, $2,200 water and sewer, $540 trash, $4,340 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 20-gal cart cartUp to $203 a year
Your cart costs $45 a month; the smallest costs $28. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
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: One-time filing with the county assessor; the home must be your principal residence on January 1.
Low-income households: Utility Customer Assistance ProgramMonthly discount on the bill
Qualified, enrolled single-family UCAP customers receive a monthly discount applied directly to their bill.
How: Apply at santacruzca.gov/ucap or email ucap@santacruzca.gov.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartThe city lists these as monthly rates for residential cart service.

Value before exemptionsEnter the net taxable value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often well below the Census market median. Other tax rate areas in the city (01-006 and 01-009) have different school bonds.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemptionSomeone on the title is 65 or older

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.

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 Santa Cruz house uses about 5.

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

Nov 17, 2026in 13 daysCity Council public hearing on proposed water rates; if approved, new rates take effect January 1, 2027.
Feb 1in 89 daysThe second installment is due February 1 and becomes delinquent April 10.
Nov 1The first installment of property taxes is due November 1 and becomes delinquent December 10.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Santa Cruz Water Department; City rate tables: a current monthly ready-to-serve charge by meter size and current per-CCF volumetric charges in three residential tiers; the rates proposed for January 1, 2027 have not been adopted
Property tax: 1.14% of value; 2025-26 tax year, Santa Cruz County (tax rate area 01-003)
Garbage: City of Santa Cruz Resource Recovery; The city lists monthly rates for 20, 32, 64 and 95-gallon carts.
Sewer: City of Santa Cruz; The city lists a monthly single-family wastewater rate per dwelling unit.
Electricity: Central Coast Community Energy (3CE); Central Coast Community Energy is the primary electricity provider for the communities it lists, including Santa Cruz.
Gas: PG&E; The city's utility users tax exemption covers PG&E electricity and gas services.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Proposed rates: If approved by the City Council following a public hearing on November 17, 2026, the new rates would take effect January 1, 2027.
Funding: The Water Department is entirely funded by water rates, with no financial support from City taxes or the General Fund.
Ready-to-serve charge: Ready-to-serve charges are a fixed charge based on the size of your water meter.

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How these numbers are made

Tax: 1% plus the 2025-26 Santa Cruz County rates for tax rate area 01-003 (city, Santa Cruz City Schools and Cabrillo College bonds); the county's 2026-27 rate book was not found. Tax rate areas 01-006 and 01-009 inside the city differ in school bonds.
Parcel taxes: only Measure T and Measure U (county senior exemption form) are included; other direct charges on a bill (county service areas, assessments) were not sourced and are not included.
Water: current ready-to-serve charge for the 5/8 inch meter plus current residential tier rates per CCF (0-5, 6-9, over 9 CCF); proposed January 2027 rates are not used. The default is 5 CCF, the city's example single-family household. Elevation-zone surcharges that may apply to higher-pressure zones were not sourced and are not included.
Sewer: flat single-family monthly rate scheduled for July 1, 2026 in the city's 2025 wastewater rate notice; no adoption resolution was found, so it is the notice's scheduled figure. Garbage: FY 2026-27 monthly cart rates effective September 1, 2026.
Electricity: 3CE comparison-sheet average for plan E-1 (a tiered legacy plan; many PG&E homes are on E-TOU-C) plus PG&E base services charge; the figure depends on the PCIA vintage and 3CE sheet dated Feb 15, 2026, and was not checked against a newer sheet. Gas: PG&E G-1 baseline rate plus public purpose surcharge for all use; the baseline territory for Santa Cruz was not confirmed so no excess tier is applied. The city's 8.5% utility users tax is applied to electric, gas and water only. The city's tax page also lists wastewater and refuse, and the city code sets refuse at 8.5%, but the calculator does not apply it to sewer or refuse, so those bills are understated by roughly 8.5% (about $77 and $45 a year).
Value is the Census median market value; Prop 13 assessed values are often lower. Insurance is the 2022 statewide NAIC average, the latest year on the source page.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Santa Cruz compares

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

Per year	Santa Cruz	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.14%	1.13%	higher than 162 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$1,194	$927	higher than 225 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,005	$596	higher than 171 of the other 196 California cities we cover
Trash	$535	$452	higher than 186 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$4,341	$3,421	higher than 276 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	$22,588	$14,432	higher than 247 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 $1,194 a year at typical use, higher than 225 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,194 a year at typical use, higher than 225 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,005 a year, higher than 171 of the other 196 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 $1,005 a year, higher than 171 of the other 196 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 $4,341 a year, higher than 276 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 $4,341 a year for a typical house, higher than 276 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 Santa Cruz house costs

What is the property tax rate in Santa Cruz?

About 1.14% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, Santa Cruz County (tax rate area 01-003)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Measure T Santa Cruz City High School District parcel tax $110, Measure U Santa Cruz City Elementary District parcel tax $208).

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

About $5,939 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $318 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Santa Cruz?

About $175 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5 units, or 3,740 gallons a month) on City of Santa Cruz Water Department.

How much does trash pickup cost in Santa Cruz?

$28 to $153 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gal cart, 32-gal cart, 64-gal cart, 95-gal cart).

When is property tax due in Santa Cruz?

Feb 1: The second installment is due February 1 and becomes delinquent April 10. Nov 1: The first installment of property taxes is due November 1 and becomes delinquent December 10.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Santa Cruz?

Low-income households: Utility Customer Assistance Program: Qualified, enrolled single-family UCAP customers receive a monthly discount applied directly to their bill. Apply at santacruzca.gov/ucap or email ucap@santacruzca.gov.

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

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