Down Payment by City

How Much Is a Down Payment on a House in Los Angeles?

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 Los Angeles home is $230,200, based on 3,998 Los Angeles homes that closed between May 1 and October 31, 2026 at a median price of $1,151,000. Most buyers put down less: an FHA loan at 3.5% down needs $40,285, a 5% conventional loan needs $57,550 and 10% down is $115,100. The median home fits inside the $1,249,125 Los Angeles County FHA limit, and 55.9% of all Los Angeles sales in the period were FHA-eligible at 3.5% down.

TurboHome Market Analysis · Los Angeles, California · Sales closed from May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026

Key findings

On the median Los Angeles home ($1,151,000), the down payment ranges from $40,285 at 3.5% (FHA) to $230,200 at 20%.
Home type changes the number more than anything else: 10% down is $135,000 on the median single family home ($1,350,000) and $80,000 on the median condo or townhome ($800,000).
55.9% of Los Angeles sales were priced within the $1,249,125 Los Angeles County FHA limit at 3.5% down, and 33.8% needed a jumbo loan even with 20% down (2026 conforming limit $1,249,125).
Nationally, first-time buyers put down a median 10% and repeat buyers 23% (NAR, November 2025); the typical buyer put down 15%, or about $64,000, in March 2026 (Redfin).
The Los Angeles median fell 3.8% year over year in our MLS feed ($1,195,900 to $1,151,000), which moved a 20% down payment by about $8,980.

Down payment on the median Los Angeles home

The table uses the $1,151,000 median sale price for Los Angeles homes that closed between May 1 and October 31, 2026 (single family homes, condos and townhomes). Monthly principal and interest is estimated at the Freddie Mac average 30-year fixed rate of 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026; mortgage insurance, property taxes, homeowners insurance and HOA dues come on top.

Down payment. Every figure is in the table below.

Down payment on the median Los Angeles home, data table
Down payment option	Down payment	Loan amount	Loan type at this price	Est. monthly principal and interest
3.5% down (FHA minimum)	$40,285	$1,110,715	Within FHA limit	$7,570
5% down (conventional minimum)	$57,550	$1,093,450	Conforming	$7,452
10% down	$115,100	$1,035,900	Conforming	$7,060
20% down (no mortgage insurance)	$230,200	$920,800	Conforming	$6,275

Putting 20% down instead of 3.5% on the median Los Angeles home cuts the monthly principal and interest by about $1,294 and avoids mortgage insurance, but it takes $189,915 more cash at closing. Closing costs typically add another 2% to 3% of the price on top of any option in the table.

Down payment by home type in Los Angeles

Single family homes and condos sell at very different prices in Los Angeles, so the home type you target sets your savings goal.

Down payment by home type in Los Angeles, data table
Home type	Sales (6 mo)	Median sale price	3.5% down	5% down	10% down	20% down
Single family home	3,032	$1,350,000	$47,250	$67,500	$135,000	$270,000
Condo or townhome	966	$800,000	$28,000	$40,000	$80,000	$160,000
All homes	3,998	$1,151,000	$40,285	$57,550	$115,100	$230,200

Entry level, median and upper tier in Los Angeles

One in four Los Angeles homes sold for $735,000 or less (the 25th percentile), and one in four sold for $1,915,000 or more. The entry tier is usually the better target for a first-time buyer's down payment plan.

Entry level, median and upper tier in Los Angeles, data table
Price tier	Sale price	3.5% down	5% down	10% down	20% down	Loan at 10% down
Entry level (25th percentile)	$735,000	$25,725	$36,750	$73,500	$147,000	$661,500 (conforming)
Median	$1,151,000	$40,285	$57,550	$115,100	$230,200	$1,035,900 (conforming)
Upper tier (75th percentile)	$1,915,000	$67,025	$95,750	$191,500	$383,000	$1,723,500 (jumbo)

2026 loan limits in Los Angeles County and what they mean for your down payment

2026 loan limits in Los Angeles County and what they mean for your down payment, data table
Limit (one unit, 2026)	Amount	Max purchase price at minimum down	Share of sales within limit
FHA loan limit, Los Angeles County	$1,249,125	$1,294,430 at 3.5% down	55.9%
Conforming loan limit, Los Angeles County	$1,249,125	$1,314,868 at 5% down	57.1%
Jumbo needed even at 20% down	above $1,249,125 loan	above $1,561,406 price	33.8% of sales

Los Angeles County is a high-cost area, so both the FHA and conforming limits sit at the national ceiling of $1,249,125 for 2026. FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a 580 or higher credit score but carry an upfront premium of 1.75% of the loan and monthly mortgage insurance for the life of the loan at less than 10% down. Conventional loans allow 3% to 5% down for first-time buyers with private mortgage insurance that drops off at 20% equity. Jumbo loans above the conforming limit usually require 10% to 20% down and higher reserves. Limits are from the FHFA and HUD announcements for 2026 (fhfa.gov, hud.gov).

How Los Angeles buyers actually paid

We do not publish a local financing mix for Los Angeles because only 38.9% of Los Angeles closings record the buyer's financing type in our feed. Nationally, first-time buyers put down a median 10% and repeat buyers 23% according to the NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (nar.realtor), and Redfin found the typical buyer put down 15%, or about $64,000, in March 2026 (redfin.com). Applied to the Los Angeles median of $1,151,000, a 10% first-time buyer down payment is $115,100 and a 15% typical down payment is $172,650.

Where a down payment goes furthest in Los Angeles

These are the three lowest-median neighborhoods in Los Angeles with at least 15 closings in the period, out of 73 that qualified. Entry prices come with trade-offs: older buildings, higher HOA dues or longer commutes.

Where a down payment goes furthest in Los Angeles, data table
Neighborhood	Sales (6 mo)	Median sale price	3.5% down	5% down	10% down
Downtown	93	$530,000	$18,550	$26,500	$53,000
Central-Alameda	16	$540,000	$18,900	$27,000	$54,000
Watts	26	$575,000	$20,125	$28,750	$57,500
Citywide median	3,998	$1,151,000	$40,285	$57,550	$115,100
Bel Air (highest median)	38	$3,692,630	$129,242	$184,632	$369,263

Local notes for Los Angeles buyers

Los Angeles covers everything from Watts to Bel Air, so the citywide median of $1,151,000 is a starting point, not a budget. Downtown and Central-Alameda condos and small homes ($530,000 and $540,000 medians) are where a 5% down payment under $30,000 still exists; the Westside and the hills start above $2 million and require jumbo financing. The median single family home sold for $1,350,000, putting 20% down at $270,000, while the median condo closed at $800,000, where 10% down is $80,000. Prices eased from $1,195,900 to $1,151,000 year over year in our feed. Only 38.9% of Los Angeles closings record the buyer's financing type in our data, so we do not publish a local financing mix; among those that do, FHA appears on about one in seven sales, which is consistent with the Eastside and South LA price points. Note that 33.8% of homes still needed a jumbo loan at 20% down.

California down payment assistance for Los Angeles buyers

CalHFA's MyHome Assistance Program is a deferred-payment junior loan of up to 3.5% of the purchase price or appraised value (whichever is lower) when paired with a CalHFA FHA first mortgage, or up to 3% with a CalHFA conventional first mortgage, usable for the down payment and closing costs (calhfa.ca.gov). On the median Los Angeles home ($1,151,000), that is up to $40,285 with an FHA loan, which covers the entire 3.5% minimum, or up to $34,530 with a conventional loan. MyHome requires the borrower to be a first-time buyer under CalHFA's income limits, which vary by county, and the first mortgage must stay within the county loan limit of $1,249,125, so it applies to homes priced up to about $1,294,430 with an FHA loan. CalHFA's Dream For All shared-appreciation loan reopens in limited rounds, and several cities and counties run their own programs; your TurboHome agent can check which ones apply to a specific address.

Methodology

TurboHome analyzed 3,998 Los Angeles, California home sales recorded in the MLS with a close date between May 1 and October 31, 2026 and a sale price above $50,000. Single family homes, condominiums and townhouses are included; land, mobile and manufactured homes, multifamily and timeshares are excluded. Down payments are calculated as a straight percentage of the sale price and rounded to the nearest dollar; lender overlays, seller credits and closing costs are not included. FHA eligibility is the share of sales where the price less a 3.5% down payment is at or below the 2026 Los Angeles County FHA one-unit limit of $1,249,125; the conforming test uses a 5% down payment against the 2026 conforming limit of $1,249,125; the jumbo test uses a 20% down payment against the same limit. Loan limits are from the FHFA announcement of November 25, 2025 and HUD's 2026 FHA limits effective January 1, 2026. The financing mix counts only closings where the MLS records a single buyer financing type; multi-value entries and blanks are excluded, and the mix is omitted where fewer than 80% of closings have a recorded type. Neighborhood medians use the MLS neighborhood field and require at least 15 closings (Sacramento uses ZIP codes with at least 8 closings because of thinner feed coverage). Monthly payment estimates use the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey 30-year fixed average of 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026 (freddiemac.com/pmms), principal and interest only. Year-over-year comparisons use the same method for May 1 to October 31, 2025 and are shown only where the prior period has at least 100 closings in our feed.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a down payment on a house in Los Angeles?

On the median Los Angeles home, which sold for $1,151,000 between May 1 and October 31, 2026, a down payment is $40,285 at 3.5% (FHA), $57,550 at 5%, $115,100 at 10% and $230,200 at 20%. One in four homes sold for $735,000 or less, where 5% down is $36,750.

What is the minimum down payment for a house in Los Angeles?

FHA loans allow 3.5% down, which is $40,285 on the median Los Angeles home, as long as the loan stays under the $1,249,125 Los Angeles County limit; 55.9% of Los Angeles sales in the period qualified. Conventional loans allow 3% to 5% down for first-time buyers, and VA loans require no down payment for eligible veterans and service members.

Do I need 20% down to buy a house in Los Angeles?

No. Nationally, first-time buyers put down a median 10% and the typical buyer 15%, and both FHA (3.5% down) and conventional (3% to 5% down) loans are widely used in Los Angeles. Putting 20% down ($230,200 on the median home) avoids mortgage insurance and lowers the payment by about $1,294 a month compared with 3.5% down.

Is Los Angeles a jumbo loan market?

Largely, yes. 33.8% of Los Angeles homes sold for more than $1,561,406, which means the loan exceeded the $1,249,125 conforming limit even with 20% down. Jumbo lenders typically want 10% to 20% down, higher credit scores and 6 to 12 months of reserves, so plan the down payment and the reserves together.

Is there down payment assistance in Los Angeles?

Yes. CalHFA's MyHome program offers a deferred junior loan of up to 3.5% of the price with a CalHFA FHA loan ($40,285 on the median Los Angeles home) or 3% with a conventional loan, subject to first-time buyer status, income limits and the $1,249,125 county loan limit. Local city and county programs may stack on top.

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