Down Payment by City

How Much Is a Down Payment on a House? 25 California and Texas Cities Compared

Updated November 1, 2026

By Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Reviewed by:

Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Kevin Kretzmer

Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822

A 20% down payment on the median home ranges from $63,400 in Houston to $350,080 in Sunnyvale, based on 51,035 home sales that closed between May 1 and October 31, 2026 across the 25 California and Texas cities where TurboHome represents buyers. Most buyers put down far less than 20%: a 3.5% FHA down payment runs from $11,095 to $61,264 across the same cities, and nationally first-time buyers put down a median 10%. Pick your city below for the full breakdown, 2026 loan limits and local assistance programs.

TurboHome Market Analysis · California and Texas · Sales closed from May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026

Key findings

The cheapest down payment in our markets is Houston: $11,095 at 3.5% and $63,400 at 20% on a $317,000 median. The most expensive is Sunnyvale: $61,264 at 3.5% and $350,080 at 20% on a $1,750,400 median.
FHA loans at 3.5% down fit 98% of sales in Sacramento but only 24.6% in Sunnyvale, because the FHA limit is $764,750 in Sacramento County and $1,249,125 in Santa Clara County while prices differ by far more.
In Sunnyvale, 60% of homes needed a jumbo loan even with 20% down. Every Texas city in this guide had under 20% jumbo share, and Fort Worth, Katy and Round Rock were at or under 2%.
Where our MLS feed records financing type, FHA loans ran from 28.2% of closings in Fort Worth to 0% in Berkeley and Sunnyvale, and cash buyers ranged from 9.9% in Chula Vista to 47.4% in Walnut Creek.
Rocket Mortgage's 2026 analysis found it takes a median-income household saving 5% of income 57.2 years to save a down payment in San Francisco, 21.2 in Austin and 4.3 in Fort Worth (money.com), and LendingTree found San Jose buyers plan the largest down payments in the country at a $190,000 median (qz.com).

Down payment by city in California

20% down. Every figure is in the table below.

Down payment by city in California, data table
City	Sales (6 mo)	Median sale price	3.5% down (FHA)	5% down	10% down	20% down	FHA-eligible share	Jumbo at 20% down
Sacramento	99	$440,000	$15,400	$22,000	$44,000	$88,000	98%	1%
Chula Vista	753	$840,000	$29,400	$42,000	$84,000	$168,000	81.5%	6.2%
Oakland	1,283	$842,000	$29,470	$42,100	$84,200	$168,400	71%	18%
Long Beach	1,130	$870,000	$30,450	$43,500	$87,000	$174,000	81.3%	10.3%
San Diego	4,411	$950,000	$33,250	$47,500	$95,000	$190,000	62.1%	25.5%
Walnut Creek	654	$982,500	$34,388	$49,125	$98,250	$196,500	64.7%	24.8%
Los Angeles	3,998	$1,151,000	$40,285	$57,550	$115,100	$230,200	55.9%	33.8%
Pasadena	566	$1,250,000	$43,750	$62,500	$125,000	$250,000	52.1%	33.4%
San Jose	1,687	$1,364,000	$47,740	$68,200	$136,400	$272,800	44.7%	39.5%
Fremont	559	$1,451,000	$50,785	$72,550	$145,100	$290,200	36.9%	42.6%
Irvine	1,048	$1,480,000	$51,800	$74,000	$148,000	$296,000	37.3%	46.3%
Berkeley	379	$1,630,000	$57,050	$81,500	$163,000	$326,000	31.9%	54.6%
Santa Clara	214	$1,644,000	$57,540	$82,200	$164,400	$328,800	28.5%	55.1%
San Francisco	2,352	$1,650,000	$57,750	$82,500	$165,000	$330,000	33.9%	54.3%
San Mateo	273	$1,670,000	$58,450	$83,500	$167,000	$334,000	32.2%	54.6%
Sunnyvale	260	$1,750,400	$61,264	$87,520	$175,040	$350,080	24.6%	60%

Down payment by city in Texas

20% down. Every figure is in the table below.

Down payment by city in Texas, data table
City	Sales (6 mo)	Median sale price	3.5% down (FHA)	5% down	10% down	20% down	FHA-eligible share	Jumbo at 20% down
Houston	11,032	$317,000	$11,095	$15,850	$31,700	$63,400	78.1%	8.7%
Fort Worth	5,966	$337,000	$11,795	$16,850	$33,700	$67,400	89.4%	2%
Katy	2,884	$349,204	$12,222	$17,460	$34,920	$69,841	82.1%	1.6%
Round Rock	456	$400,000	$14,000	$20,000	$40,000	$80,000	80.3%	0.9%
Sugar Land	667	$452,500	$15,838	$22,625	$45,250	$90,500	64.9%	5.7%
Dallas	4,850	$475,000	$16,625	$23,750	$47,500	$95,000	59.4%	17.6%
Plano	1,305	$517,500	$18,112	$25,875	$51,750	$103,500	62%	8.8%
Austin	2,921	$556,000	$19,460	$27,800	$55,600	$111,200	54.2%	18.6%
Frisco	1,288	$650,000	$22,750	$32,500	$65,000	$130,000	41.1%	16.1%

How to read the numbers

The down payment is a percentage of the purchase price, so the median sale price in your city sets the target. FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a 580 or higher credit score as long as the loan is within the county FHA limit; conventional loans allow 3% to 5% down for first-time buyers with private mortgage insurance until you reach 20% equity; VA loans require no down payment for eligible veterans and service members. Above the conforming loan limit ($832,750 in most counties and $1,249,125 in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Orange County for 2026, per the FHFA announcement of November 25, 2025), you need a jumbo loan, which usually means 10% to 20% down plus reserves. Nationally, first-time buyers put down a median 10% and repeat buyers 23% according to the NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, and Redfin reports the typical buyer put down 15%, about $64,000, in March 2026. Closing costs add roughly 2% to 3% of the price, and California buyers can use CalHFA MyHome (up to 3.5% of the price) while Texas buyers can use TDHCA and TSAHC programs (up to 5% of the loan amount) to cover part of the cash to close.

Methodology

TurboHome analyzed 51,035 MLS-recorded sales of single family homes, condominiums and townhouses that closed between May 1 and October 31, 2026 in the 25 cities listed, excluding sales at or below $50,000. Down payments are a straight percentage of the sale price. FHA-eligible share is the share of sales where the price less 3.5% down is within the 2026 county FHA one-unit limit; jumbo share is the share where the price less 20% down exceeds the 2026 county conforming limit. Limits come from the FHFA (conforming) and HUD (FHA) 2026 announcements. Monthly payments on city pages use the Freddie Mac PMMS 30-year fixed average of 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026. Financing mix uses only closings with a single recorded buyer financing type and is omitted where coverage is under 80% (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Katy and Sugar Land).

Frequently asked questions

How much is a down payment on a house in California?

It depends heavily on the city. Across the 16 California cities in this guide, a 20% down payment on the median home runs from $88,000 in Sacramento to $350,080 in Sunnyvale, and a 3.5% FHA down payment from $15,400 to $61,264. Most Bay Area, Los Angeles and Orange County sales sit above the FHA limit, so conventional and jumbo loans with 10% to 20% down are the norm there.

How much is a down payment on a house in Texas?

Across the 9 Texas cities in this guide, a 20% down payment on the median home runs from $63,400 in Houston to $130,000 in Frisco, and a 3.5% FHA down payment from $11,095 to $22,750. Because the FHA limit is $541,287 to $571,550 and the conforming limit is $832,750 statewide, most Texas sales qualify for a low-down-payment loan.

What is the minimum down payment on a house?

FHA loans require 3.5% down (580 credit score or higher), conventional loans allow 3% down for qualifying first-time buyers and 5% for most others, VA and USDA loans require 0% down for eligible borrowers, and jumbo loans typically require 10% to 20%. State programs in California (CalHFA MyHome) and Texas (TDHCA, TSAHC) can cover some or all of the minimum.

Do most buyers put 20% down?

No. The NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found first-time buyers put down a median 10% and repeat buyers 23%, and Redfin reported the typical down payment was 15% of the purchase price in March 2026. In our data, cash purchases ranged from about 10% of closings in Chula Vista to 47% in Walnut Creek, and FHA loans covered more than a quarter of closings in Fort Worth.

How does TurboHome help with the down payment?

TurboHome represents buyers for a flat fee and returns the rest of the buyer-side commission to you at closing. That rebate can cover a large share of closing costs, which leaves more of your savings for the down payment. See the TurboHome buyer rebate page for how it works in your state.

City guides

California

Texas

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