California Closing Costs Calculator

The buyer-side stack, line by line — because the only honest version of a closing-cost number is the one where you can see and change every line.

Purchase price ($)

Loan amount ($)

Down payment ($)

Lender origination (% of loan)

Lender / appraisal / credit flat fees ($)

Title + escrow (% of price)

Recording ($)

Transfer tax — YOUR share ($) — custom and contract decide who pays

Prepaid homeowners insurance ($)

Tax / insurance escrow reserves ($)

Other (inspections, HOA docs, misc.) ($)

Seller / lender credits ($)

An estimator, not a Loan Estimate or a Closing Disclosure. Who pays title, escrow, and transfer charges in California is custom plus contract — the lines are editable because your deal decides.

How the math works

The common planning band for buyer closing costs is 2–5% of the purchase price (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidance). The stack: lender charges (origination as a % of the loan, plus flat fees), title and escrow (a % of price here as a planning placeholder), recording, prepaid homeowner’s insurance, tax and insurance reserves, and other items, minus credits. WHO pays title, escrow, and transfer tax in California is a matter of county custom and the contract — Northern and Southern California customs differ — so every line is an input, and a line you do not pay is a zero, not an argument with the calculator.

A worked example

An $850,000 purchase with a $680,000 loan: origination at 0.75% ($5,100) + $999 flat lender fees, title/escrow at 0.35% ($2,975) + $300 recording, $1,500 insurance prepaid, $6,000 reserves, $1,000 other — total closing costs $19,375, which is 2.28% of the price, inside the 2–5% band. Cash to close with the $170,000 down payment: $189,375.

Questions from the field

What are typical closing costs in California? Buyers commonly land between 2% and 5% of the purchase price (CFPB guidance). On $850,000 that is $17,000–$42,500 — the example stack lands at $19,375, low in the band because seller credits and who-pays customs move real deals around.

Who pays for title insurance and escrow in California? It varies by county custom and by what the contract says — in much of Southern California the seller commonly pays the owner’s title policy while the buyer pays the lender’s policy, and escrow is often split. Your purchase agreement governs; the calculator lets each party’s lines sit at zero.

Is this a Loan Estimate? No. It is planning math with editable lines. Your lender’s Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are the binding documents.

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