Closing Costs
Buyer Closing Costs in 10 California and Texas Cities (2026)
Updated November 10, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822
Buyer closing costs on a median-priced home run from 0.27% to 0.48% of the price in Irvine to 1.47% to 1.9% in Oakland, before prepaids and discount points, across six California and four Texas cities. Oakland costs the most because its buyers customarily pay the owner's title policy, the full escrow fee and half the city transfer tax; Irvine, Los Angeles and San Diego cost the least because sellers there pay the owner's title policy and every transfer tax. In Texas, one-time closing costs are a flat $2,350 to $5,650 in all four cities. The figures model closings in our MLS feed from May 1 to October 31, 2026.
TurboHome Market Analysis · 10 cities in California and Texas · Closings May to Oct 2026 · Updated November 10, 2026
Buyer closing costs in 10 cities
| City | Median price | Closing costs | Share of price | Prepaids | Cash to close, 20% down | Buyer pays owner's title? | Buyer's transfer tax share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $1,625,000 | $9,150 to $13,687 | 0.56% to 0.84% | $9,644 to $12,144 | $343,794 to $350,831 | Yes | None |
| Oakland, CA | $839,000 | $12,298 to $15,971 | 1.47% to 1.9% | $6,033 to $8,533 | $186,131 to $192,304 | Yes | Half of city tax |
| San Jose, CA | $1,364,186 | $6,140 to $9,156 | 0.45% to 0.67% | $8,223 to $10,723 | $287,200 to $292,716 | No (seller) | Half of conveyance tax |
| Los Angeles, CA | $1,140,000 | $3,665 to $6,625 | 0.32% to 0.58% | $7,222 to $9,722 | $238,887 to $244,347 | No (seller) | None |
| San Diego, CA | $950,000 | $3,475 to $6,388 | 0.37% to 0.67% | $6,423 to $8,923 | $199,898 to $205,311 | No (seller) | None |
| Irvine, CA | $1,480,000 | $4,005 to $7,050 | 0.27% to 0.48% | $8,426 to $10,926 | $308,431 to $313,976 | No (seller) | None |
| Dallas, TX | $472,850 | $2,350 to $5,650 | 0.5% to 1.19% | $6,061 to $8,461 | $102,981 to $108,681 | No (seller) | None |
| Fort Worth, TX | $336,900 | $2,350 to $5,650 | 0.7% to 1.68% | $4,969 to $7,369 | $74,699 to $80,399 | No (seller) | None |
| Houston, TX | $316,000 | $2,350 to $5,650 | 0.74% to 1.79% | $4,887 to $7,287 | $70,437 to $76,137 | No (seller) | None |
| Austin, TX | $555,000 | $2,350 to $5,650 | 0.42% to 1.02% | $6,484 to $8,884 | $119,834 to $125,534 | No (seller) | None |
Closing costs leave out prepaids and discount points. Prepaids are prepaid interest, a three-month property tax reserve and a year of insurance. Cash to close adds a 20% down payment at the median price to both.
Why Oakland costs the most and Southern California the least
Two local customs decide most of the gap: who pays the owner's title policy, and who pays the transfer tax. In San Francisco and Oakland, buyers customarily pay the owner's title policy and the full escrow fee. Oakland buyers also pay half of the city's transfer tax, which is 1.5% of the price from $300,001 to $2,000,000 (City of Oakland, Real Estate Transfer Tax, checked November 10, 2026), and that half alone came to $6,292 on the median $839,000 home.
That is why an Oakland buyer at the $839,000 median pays more at closing ($12,298 to $15,971) than a San Francisco buyer at the $1,625,000 median ($9,150 to $13,687). San Francisco's transfer tax is customarily the seller's.
San Jose sits in between: Santa Clara County sellers customarily pay the owner's title policy, but buyer and seller split San Jose's conveyance tax of $3.30 per $1,000. In Los Angeles, San Diego and Irvine, sellers customarily pay the owner's title policy and every transfer tax and the escrow fee is split, so buyers there pay mostly lender fees and their half of escrow: $3,665 to $6,625 in Los Angeles, $3,475 to $6,388 in San Diego and $4,005 to $7,050 in Irvine (Chicago Title, 2026 California Customary Practices Guide, checked November 10, 2026).
Texas: flat closing costs, bigger prepaids
Texas has no transfer tax, sellers customarily pay the owner's title policy, and the buyer's lender's policy costs $100 when it is issued with the owner's policy (Texas Department of Insurance, title insurance FAQ, checked November 10, 2026). That leaves Texas buyers with the same modeled $2,350 to $5,650 in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin, whatever the price.
The bigger cash items in Texas are the prepaids: a property tax reserve at Texas tax rates plus a year of insurance. They run from $4,887 to $7,287 in Houston to $6,484 to $8,884 in Austin, larger than the one-time closing costs at both ends of the range in all four cities.
How these estimates compare with national figures
Bankrate, citing LodeStar's 2025 data, put average purchase closing costs at $5,577 in California (0.75% of the average sale price), $3,754 in Texas (0.93%) and $4,528 nationally (Bankrate, mortgage closing costs (LodeStar 2025 data), published November 2, 2026). LodeStar counts title, settlement, recording and transfer taxes and leaves out lender fees and prepaids, so its figures are not directly comparable with the ranges here.
JVM Lending, a California lender, puts total buyer closing costs in California at 2% to 5% of the price, counting lender charges, title, escrow and prepaids together (JVM Lending, average closing costs in California, updated September 23, 2026). Both sources agree with the pattern above: the county and city you buy in matter more than anything else.
Closing cost guides by city
Bay Area
Los Angeles and Orange County
San Diego County
Dallas-Fort Worth
Methodology
We modeled buyer closing costs for each city at its median sale price, from closings in our MLS feed from May 1 to October 31, 2026, excluding sales under $50,000 and land and lot sales. Each estimate is a range for a financed purchase with 20% down and a conventional loan, buyer side only.
California model ranges: lender fees $1,200 to $3,000; appraisal and credit report $650 to $950; lender's title policy $400 to $800; recording $150 to $250; owner's title policy, only where the buyer customarily pays it, 0.20% to 0.26% of the price, with a $1,100 to $1,400 minimum; escrow fee $250 plus $2.00 per $1,000 of price (low) to $400 plus $2.50 per $1,000 (high). The buyer pays the full escrow fee in San Francisco and Oakland and half in San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego and Irvine, plus half of Oakland's city transfer tax and half of San Jose's conveyance tax.
Texas model ranges: lender fees $1,200 to $3,000; appraisal and credit report $550 to $850; lender's title policy $100 (simultaneous issue with the seller's owner's policy); escrow or settlement fee $350 to $700; survey $0 to $700; recording $150 to $300.
Prepaids assume 15 days of interest at an assumed 6.25% rate on an 80% loan, a three-month property tax reserve at each city's effective rate, and 12 months of homeowners insurance at $1,500 to $4,000 in California (a TurboHome estimate) and $2,500 to $4,900 in Texas (a Neuhaus estimate).
Estimates leave out discount points, inspections, HOA transfer or capital contribution fees, Mello-Roos and MUD special taxes, and property tax prorations. Santa Clara County title companies list the escrow fee as seller-paid by custom, so the San Jose estimate, which gives the buyer half, is conservative. Customs vary by contract and are negotiable. Each city page lists its local tax and recording sources.
Public sources:
- Chicago Title, 2026 California Customary Practices Guide, checked November 10, 2026
- Old Republic Title, California customs chart, checked November 10, 2026
- JVM Lending, average closing costs in California, updated September 23, 2026
- City of Oakland, Real Estate Transfer Tax, checked November 10, 2026
- SF.gov, transfer tax rates, checked November 10, 2026
- Los Angeles Office of Finance, Measure ULA FAQ, checked November 10, 2026
- Texas Department of Insurance, title insurance FAQ, checked November 10, 2026
- Bankrate, mortgage closing costs (LodeStar 2025 data), published November 2, 2026
FAQ
Who pays closing costs in California, the buyer or the seller?
Both. Buyers pay their lender's fees, the appraisal, the lender's title policy and recording. The rest follows county custom: in San Francisco and Alameda counties the buyer customarily pays the owner's title policy and the escrow fee; in Santa Clara County the seller pays both; in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties the seller pays the owner's title policy and escrow is split. Sellers customarily pay the county transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000, while city taxes vary: Oakland and San Jose buyers customarily pay half. These are customs, not law, and are negotiable (Chicago Title, 2026 California Customary Practices Guide, checked November 10, 2026).
Does Texas have a real estate transfer tax?
No. Texas charges no transfer tax on home sales, and sellers customarily pay the owner's title policy, so buyer closing costs in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin come from lender fees, the $100 simultaneous-issue lender's title policy, escrow, survey and recording: $2,350 to $5,650 in our model.
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in California?
TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer's brokerage that refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission to the buyer at closing in California, and the refund can be applied to closing costs. For the other companies that offer refunds, see our dated roundup of companies that refund the buyer's agent commission in California.
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in Texas?
TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer's brokerage that refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission to the buyer at closing in Texas, and the refund can be applied to closing costs. For the other companies that offer refunds, see our dated roundup of companies that refund the buyer's agent commission in Texas.
How much cash do I need to close on a home?
With 20% down at each city's median price, cash to close runs from $70,437 to $76,137 in Houston to $343,794 to $350,831 in San Francisco. That total is the down payment plus closing costs plus prepaids; the table above lists every city.
Related guides
- Property taxes by city
- Days on market by city
- How much over asking to offer, by city
- Down payment by city
- Companies that refund the buyer's agent commission
- How TurboHome's flat fee works
- California home buying guides
- Texas home buying guides
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Kevin Kretzmer
Head Agent, California
Kevin Kretzmer leads TurboHome's California agent team and reviews California and national buyer guidance for practical brokerage accuracy.
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