HOA Fees by City

HOA fees in Berkeley: what condo and townhome buyers pay in 2026

Updated October 29, 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

The median HOA fee on a Berkeley condo listed in the past 12 months was $504 per month, with the middle half of listings paying between $325 and $821. That is up 0.2% versus the prior 12 months. Single family homes in Berkeley almost never carry one: only 2.8% of single family listings reported an HOA fee. At today's mortgage rates, a $504 monthly fee reduces what you can borrow by roughly $73,400, so the fee belongs in your budget before you decide on a price range. The figures below come from 111 condo and townhouse listings and 576 single family listings in our MLS feed, and they are broken out by property type, neighborhood and building age.

TurboHome Market Analysis · Berkeley, California · Listings from October 29, 2025 to October 28, 2026

Key findings

Median condo HOA fee: $504 per month (up 0.2% year over year, from $503). Typical range (25th to 75th percentile): $325 to $821.
2.8% of single family listings reported an HOA fee.
By neighborhood, attached-home fees ranged from $481 in Berkeley Hills to $550 in Berkeley Oceanview. North Berkeley supplied the most listings (25) at a $549 median.
Each $100 of monthly HOA fee is equivalent to about $14,600 of mortgage at a 7.32% 30-year fixed rate.

How much are HOA fees in Berkeley? Fees by property type

Median monthly fee. Every figure is in the table below.

How much are HOA fees in Berkeley? Fees by property type, data table
Property type	Listings	Share with an HOA fee	Median monthly fee	Typical range (25th to 75th pct)	Median list price (listings with a fee)	Median fee, prior 12 months	Change
Condo	111	87.4%	$504	$325 to $821	$699,000	$503	+0.2%
Single family	576	2.8%	too few with a fee to report	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Local context: what drives Berkeley HOA fees

Berkeley's condo stock is old and small-scale, which keeps dues moderate: 70 of the condos and townhomes listed with a fee were built before 1970, and the citywide median was essentially unchanged from a year earlier ($503 to $504). North Berkeley had the most attached listings and a median fee of $549. Only 87% of Berkeley condo listings reported any HOA fee, lower than the 99% typical elsewhere, because many two to four unit conversions run informal shared-expense arrangements rather than a formal association.

Berkeley HOA fees by neighborhood (condos and townhouses)

Median monthly HOA fee. Every figure is in the table below.

Berkeley HOA fees by neighborhood (condos and townhouses), data table
Neighborhood	Condo and townhouse listings with a fee	Median monthly HOA fee	Median list price
North Berkeley	25	$549	$899,000
Berkeley Oceanview	17	$550	$700,000
Berkeley Hills	15	$481	$699,000

What a $504 monthly HOA fee does to your buying power

Lenders count HOA dues in your debt-to-income ratio exactly like a car payment, so every dollar of dues is a dollar of mortgage payment you cannot make. At the Freddie Mac average 30-year fixed rate of 7.32% for the week of October 22, 2026 (source), each $100 of monthly payment supports about $14,600 of loan. The Berkeley median condo fee of $504 therefore absorbs roughly $73,400 of borrowing power. Put differently, two buyers with identical incomes and down payments, one looking at a $504 fee building and one at a no-fee home, can afford list prices about $73,400 apart. Use the numbers in the neighborhood table to run the same math on the specific building you are considering, and ask the listing agent for the current fee rather than relying on the MLS field, which can lag a budget change by a year. The spread in Berkeley matters too: the difference between a 25th percentile fee ($325) and a 75th percentile fee ($821) is worth about $72,200 of loan.

What HOA fees cover in California, and why they are rising

In California, every condo and most townhome communities are governed by the Davis-Stirling Act, and dues typically cover the master insurance policy, exterior and roof maintenance, common area utilities, landscaping, reserves and management. Three things are pushing California dues up right now. First, master policy insurance: Allstate raised California condo rates an average of 30% in April 2025, some associations report 200% to 500% increases at renewal, and CoverageCat reports monthly dues rising $200 to $700 in some associations as insurance costs pass through (source). Second, SB 326: condo associations with three or more units had to complete inspections of wood-supported balconies and walkways by January 1, 2026, and repairs found in those inspections are now flowing into budgets and special assessments (source). Third, reserves: SB 900 now requires utility lines to be included in reserve studies, and boards that under-funded reserves for years are catching up through higher dues. Hoodline reported that the San Francisco metro's median HOA fee hit $502 in 2025, up from about $360 in 2019, with insurance and deferred maintenance the main drivers (source).

How to vet a Berkeley HOA before you buy

Treat the HOA like a second seller. Before you remove contingencies on a Berkeley condo or townhome, read the most recent budget and balance sheet, the reserve study, 12 months of board minutes, the master insurance declarations page and the CC&Rs. Look for five things: a reserve balance that is at least 30% of the fully funded level, no special assessment approved or under discussion, a master policy that has not been non-renewed or moved to a surplus-lines carrier, an owner-occupancy rate that will not block conventional or FHA financing, and no pending litigation. Ask how much dues rose in each of the last three years; in Berkeley the median fee was up 0.2% in the last year, and an association that has not raised dues in years is often one that has not been funding reserves.

How TurboHome helps

TurboHome is a flat fee buyer's brokerage serving the East Bay. Instead of keeping the full buyer-side commission offered by the seller, we charge a flat fee and credit the rest back to you at closing. Our agents tour with you, write and negotiate offers, and review HOA budgets, reserve studies and insurance before you waive contingencies. See how buyer rebates work in California and estimate your savings.

Methodology

Fees are the monthly association fee reported on MLS listings in TurboHome's data warehouse for homes in the city of Berkeley, CA, with a list date between October 29, 2025 and October 28, 2026 (the prior period is October 29, 2024 to October 28, 2025). Listings with no fee reported are counted as having no HOA, which slightly understates the share with a fee where agents left the field blank. Medians are of listings, not of buildings, so large complexes with many sales weigh more. Neighborhood rows are shown only where at least 15 listings with a fee were tagged to the neighborhood; building-age rows need at least 20. Fees reported annually or quarterly on the MLS were converted to monthly. Single family medians are shown only where at least 30 single family listings and at least 10% of them reported a fee; year-over-year changes are shown only for property types with at least 50 listings reporting a fee. Figures are aggregates and do not identify any listing; they are not a substitute for the association's own disclosure documents.

FAQ

What is the average HOA fee in Berkeley?

The median monthly HOA fee on a Berkeley condo listed between October 2025 and October 2026 was $504, and the middle half of listings fell between $325 and $821. Single family homes rarely carry one; 2.8% of single family listings reported an HOA fee.

Are HOA fees in Berkeley going up?

Yes in most buildings. The median condo fee was up 0.2% year over year, from $503 to $504. Insurance renewals, SB 326 balcony repairs and reserve catch-up are the main drivers in California.

Do HOA fees count against my mortgage approval in Berkeley?

Yes. Lenders add the full monthly dues to your housing payment when they calculate your debt-to-income ratio. At a 7.32% rate, the $504 median Berkeley fee is equivalent to about $73,400 of loan balance, so a higher-fee building means a lower maximum purchase price for the same income.

Which Berkeley neighborhoods have the lowest HOA fees?

Among neighborhoods with at least 15 attached listings, Berkeley Hills had the lowest median fee at $481 a month and Berkeley Oceanview the highest at $550. Fees track amenities and building scale more than location: elevators, doormen, pools and parking structures cost far more to run than a walk-up with a shared yard.

What does a flat fee buyer's agent change about buying in an HOA?

Nothing about the HOA itself, but it changes your cash at closing. TurboHome charges a flat fee instead of the full buyer-side commission the seller offers, and the difference is credited back to you, which can cover years of dues. Our agents also review the HOA documents with you before you waive contingencies.

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