Down Payment by City

How Much Is a Down Payment on a House in Sacramento?

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 Sacramento home is $88,000, based on 99 Sacramento homes that closed between May 1 and October 31, 2026 at a median price of $440,000. Most buyers put down less: an FHA loan at 3.5% down needs $15,400, a 5% conventional loan needs $22,000 and 10% down is $44,000. The median home fits inside the $764,750 Sacramento County FHA limit, and 98% of all Sacramento sales in the period were FHA-eligible at 3.5% down.

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

Key findings

On the median Sacramento home ($440,000), the down payment ranges from $15,400 at 3.5% (FHA) to $88,000 at 20%.
The entry tier is cheaper than the median: one in four Sacramento homes sold for $354,000 or less, where 5% down is $17,700 and 10% down is $35,400.
98% of Sacramento sales were priced within the $764,750 Sacramento County FHA limit at 3.5% down, and 1% needed a jumbo loan even with 20% down (2026 conforming limit $832,750).
How Sacramento buyers actually paid: 53.7% conventional, 17.9% cash, 17.9% FHA and 6.3% VA, based on the 96% of closings that record a financing type.
The Sacramento median rose 1.1% year over year in our MLS feed ($435,000 to $440,000), which moved a 20% down payment by about $1,000.

Down payment on the median Sacramento home

The table uses the $440,000 median sale price for Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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)	$15,400	$424,600	Within FHA limit	$2,894
5% down (conventional minimum)	$22,000	$418,000	Conforming	$2,849
10% down	$44,000	$396,000	Conforming	$2,699
20% down (no mortgage insurance)	$88,000	$352,000	Conforming	$2,399

Putting 20% down instead of 3.5% on the median Sacramento home cuts the monthly principal and interest by about $495 and avoids mortgage insurance, but it takes $72,600 more cash at closing. Closing costs typically add another 2% to 3% of the price on top of any option in the table.

Entry level, median and upper tier in Sacramento

One in four Sacramento homes sold for $354,000 or less (the 25th percentile), and one in four sold for $507,500 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 Sacramento, data table
Price tier	Sale price	3.5% down	5% down	10% down	20% down	Loan at 10% down
Entry level (25th percentile)	$354,000	$12,390	$17,700	$35,400	$70,800	$318,600 (conforming)
Median	$440,000	$15,400	$22,000	$44,000	$88,000	$396,000 (conforming)
Upper tier (75th percentile)	$507,500	$17,762	$25,375	$50,750	$101,500	$456,750 (conforming)

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

2026 loan limits in Sacramento 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, Sacramento County	$764,750	$792,487 at 3.5% down	98%
Conforming loan limit, Sacramento County	$832,750	$876,579 at 5% down	98%
Jumbo needed even at 20% down	above $832,750 loan	above $1,040,938 price	1% of sales

Sacramento County's 2026 FHA limit is $764,750 and the conforming limit is the national baseline of $832,750. 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 Sacramento buyers actually paid

Of the Sacramento closings in the period, 96% record the buyer's financing type in the MLS. Among those:

Share of closings. Every figure is in the table below.

How Sacramento buyers actually paid, data table
Financing type	Share of closings	Median sale price for this type	Minimum down payment
Conventional	53.7%	$463,000	3% to 5%
Cash	17.9%	$406,000	100%
FHA	17.9%	$410,000	3.5%
VA	6.3%	not calculated	0%

FHA buyers in Sacramento bought at a median $410,000, against $463,000 for conventional buyers, so the low-down-payment route is concentrated in the lower half of the market.

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).

Where a down payment goes furthest in Sacramento

Our MLS feed has too few Sacramento closings per neighborhood for a neighborhood table, so these are the three lowest-median ZIP codes with at least 8 closings in the period, out of 5 that qualified. Treat them as directional. Entry prices come with trade-offs: older housing stock, longer commutes or higher insurance.

Where a down payment goes furthest in Sacramento, data table
Neighborhood	Sales (6 mo)	Median sale price	3.5% down	5% down	10% down
ZIP 95820 (Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights)	8	$372,500	$13,038	$18,625	$37,250
ZIP 95822 (South Land Park and Freeport Manor)	10	$406,000	$14,210	$20,300	$40,600
ZIP 95838 (Del Paso Heights)	9	$430,000	$15,050	$21,500	$43,000
Citywide median	99	$440,000	$15,400	$22,000	$44,000

Local notes for Sacramento buyers

Sacramento is the one California city in this guide where a down payment looks like Texas: the median home sold for $440,000, so 3.5% down is $15,400 and 10% is $44,000, and 72.7% of homes closed under $500,000. FHA loans covered 17.9% of recorded financing, the highest share of any California city here, and VA another 6.3%. The FHA limit in Sacramento County is $764,750, so 98% of sales were FHA-eligible at 3.5% down. Our MLS feed covers only 99 Sacramento closings for the period, so treat the medians as directional and check the neighborhood you are targeting; South Sacramento, Oak Park and the Arden-Arcade border generally price below the citywide median, while East Sacramento, Land Park and Curtis Park sit above it. A first-time buyer with $25,000 saved can realistically pair an FHA loan with CalHFA MyHome assistance here.

California down payment assistance for Sacramento 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 Sacramento home ($440,000), that is up to $15,400 with an FHA loan, which covers the entire 3.5% minimum, or up to $13,200 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 $764,750, so it applies to homes priced up to about $792,487 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 99 Sacramento, 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 Sacramento County FHA one-unit limit of $764,750; the conforming test uses a 5% down payment against the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750; 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 Sacramento?

On the median Sacramento home, which sold for $440,000 between May 1 and October 31, 2026, a down payment is $15,400 at 3.5% (FHA), $22,000 at 5%, $44,000 at 10% and $88,000 at 20%. One in four homes sold for $354,000 or less, where 5% down is $17,700.

What is the minimum down payment for a house in Sacramento?

FHA loans allow 3.5% down, which is $15,400 on the median Sacramento home, as long as the loan stays under the $764,750 Sacramento County limit; 98% of Sacramento 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 Sacramento?

No. 17.9% of recorded Sacramento closings were all-cash and FHA plus VA loans covered 24.2%; the remaining 57.9% were conventional or other loans, many of them with less than 20% down and private mortgage insurance. Nationally, first-time buyers put down a median 10%. Putting 20% down ($88,000 on the median home) avoids mortgage insurance and lowers the payment by about $495 a month compared with 3.5% down.

Is Sacramento a jumbo loan market?

Mostly not. Only 1% of Sacramento homes sold for more than $1,040,938, the price at which a 20% down payment still leaves a loan above the $832,750 conforming limit. 98% of sales fit a conforming loan at just 5% down.

Is there down payment assistance in Sacramento?

Yes. CalHFA's MyHome program offers a deferred junior loan of up to 3.5% of the price with a CalHFA FHA loan ($15,400 on the median Sacramento home) or 3% with a conventional loan, subject to first-time buyer status, income limits and the $764,750 county loan limit. Local city and county programs may stack on top.

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