Short answer: about $347,000 a year. That is the household income needed for the median Orange County home ($1,215,000) with 20% down at this week's 7.24% mortgage rate. With 10% down it is about $406,000. The median condo needs about $237,000.
The county median household income is $114,858 (2024), so the typical home takes 3.0 times the typical income. The map shows how much that varies from city to city.
The number for your city
Hover or tap any city for its median price and the income needed with 20% down, with 10% down, and for a condo.
- Least income needed: Stanton, La Habra, Santa Ana, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, and Anaheim, from about $203,000 to $271,000.
- Most: Newport Beach at about $1,099,000, Laguna Beach about $913,000, Dana Point about $560,000.
- Condos move the number more than city choice does. Irvine's median home needs about $428,000; its median condo about $374,000. A Santa Ana condo needs about $160,000.
Where the money goes each month
For the median home, the loan itself is about 82% of the monthly cost. Property tax is next, and it is charged on your purchase price, not the seller's old assessment.
The median Orange County home, $1,215,000, with 20% down ($243,000) at 7.24%
Rates change the answer fast
Every quarter-point on the mortgage rate moves the income needed by about $7,000. At 5% the median home needs about $287,000; at 8%, about $369,000. A rate buydown raises your budget without raising your income.
How it got this way
In early 2015 the typical Orange County home needed about $126,000 of income. By March 2025 it needed about $330,000, 2.6 times as much. Household income grew about 47% over the same years. The gap between the two lines is the story of this market.
What to do with this
- You qualify on the payment, not the price. A bigger down payment, a lower rate, or a condo moves the number more than switching between neighboring cities.
- These figures are conservative. They cap the housing payment at 28% of income. Lenders often approve more for buyers with little other debt.
- Check dues and Mello-Roos. Newer communities and some condo buildings run well above the assumptions here.
Try your own income and down payment in the Orange County affordability calculator, or ask Katherine to run the real numbers before you start touring. For the other side of the question, see what $1 million buys in each Orange County city.
How we figured it
- Prices: median closed sales for the 12 months through October 2026, from CRMLS via Seven Gables Real Estate. Houses, condos, and townhomes together; condo figures use condo sales only.
- Rate: Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 29, 2026 (7.24%), refreshed weekly. The history chart uses each quarter's own rate.
- Income needed: principal and interest, 1.1% property tax, 0.35% insurance, $400 condo dues, and 0.6% mortgage insurance when the down payment is under 20%, added up and divided by 28%. It ignores other debts, closing costs, and tax deductions.
- Household income: $114,858 for Orange County in 2024, from the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates.
Data: CRMLS closed sales via Seven Gables Real Estate, through October 2026 (information deemed reliable but not guaranteed); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey via FRED, week of October 29, 2026; Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026; U.S. Census Bureau SAIPE through 2024. General information, not lending, tax, or legal advice, and not a loan pre-approval.