Average cost of homeowners insurance in California

Home insurance policy renewals in California increased 11% in the last year, according to our latest analysis of internal policyholder data.

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By

Andrew HurstSenior Editor & Licensed Auto Insurance ExpertAndrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Edited by

Jennifer GimbelJennifer GimbelSenior Managing Editor & Home Insurance ExpertJennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.

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Key takeaways

  • Average home insurance cost in California: $1,383 per year, $115 per month

  • Cheapest cities: Stockton, Sacramento, San Francisco

  • Most expensive cities: Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, San Bernardino

  • What impacts rates in California: Wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters;  increasing costs of repairing damaged property

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How much is homeowners insurance in California?

The average cost of homeowners insurance in California is $115 per month or $1,383 per year for $300,000 in dwelling coverage — that’s the part of the policy that protects your actual house. That’s around 21% less than the national average of $1,754 per year.

While the average cost of home insurance in California may be relatively low compared to the national average, record wildfire losses and high inflation have led many homeowners insurance companies to raise premiums on existing customers or exit the state altogether to make up financial ground. 

In fact, just in the last year, premiums on home insurance policy renewals increased 11% in California, according to our latest analysis of internal policyholder data.

Methodology & why you can trust our rates

Policygenius has analyzed home insurance rates provided by Quadrant Information Services in March 2022 for ZIP codes in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., for a 40-year-old female homeowner with no claim history, good credit, a $1,000 deductible, and the following coverage limits:

  • Dwelling: $300,000

  • Other structures: $30,000

  • Personal property: $150,000

  • Loss of use: $60,000

  • Liability: $300,000

  • Medical: $1,000

All rates based on the above coverage limits except where otherwise noted.

Some carriers may be represented by affiliates or subsidiaries. Rates provided are a sample of costs. Your actual quotes may differ.

Find your best home insurance rates in California with our free tool

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California home insurance rates by city

Of the state’s 20 largest cities by population, Stockton, Sacramento, and San Francisco have the cheapest homeowners insurance rates in California. In Stockton, homeowners insurance is 11% cheaper than California’s average.

City

Average monthly cost

Average annual cost

Difference from state average (%)

Los Angeles

$131

$1,566

13%

San Diego

$111

$1,333

-4%

San Jose

$105

$1,258

-9%

San Francisco

$104

$1,244

-10%

Fresno

$120

$1,440

4%

Sacramento

$103

$1,237

-11%

Long Beach

$109

$1,313

-5%

Oakland

$125

$1,500

8%

Bakersfield

$105

$1,259

-9%

Anaheim

$115

$1,377

0%

Stockton

$102

$1,229

-11%

Riverside

$122

$1,469

6%

Irvine

$115

$1,385

0%

Santa Ana

$111

$1,334

-4%

Chula Vista

$114

$1,373

-1%

Fremont

$110

$1,315

-5%

Santa Clarita

$126

$1,510

9%

San Bernardino

$126

$1,508

9%

Modesto

$111

$1,335

-3%

Fontana

$121

$1,457

5%

Collapse table

Find your best home insurance rates in California with our free tool

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California home insurance rates by coverage amount

One of the most important (and expensive) parts of your home insurance policy is your dwelling coverage, which protects the physical structure of your home from covered hazards like wildfires and water damage.

The amount of dwelling coverage you need depends on the cost to rebuild your home, which is its replacement cost — not its market value. If you paid $600,000 for a home that would cost $400,000 to rebuild, you’d only need $400,000 in dwelling coverage.

The cost of your homeowners insurance partly depends on the amount of dwelling coverage you buy. More coverage means higher premiums. As you can see from the following table, adding $100,000 of dwelling coverage to your policy raises the cost of home insurance by an average of about $400 per year.

Dwelling coverage limit

Average annual cost

$100,000

$596

$200,000

$989

$300,000

$1,383

$400,000

$1,773

$500,000

$2,174

Why are home insurance rates in California going up?

Home insurance rates in California have increased an average of 11% over the last year due to the increase in wildfires that have burned nearly 10 million acres of forest and destroyed 39,000 homes in the state over the last five years. 

These natural disasters have led large home insurance companies to no longer insure homes in certain parts of the state and others to leave the California home insurance market altogether. As a result, many California residents are left with little to no options for homeowners insurance — particularly those with homes in areas most at risk of wildfire damage.

Learn more >>  Why are home insurance rates going up?

Find your best home insurance rates in California with our free tool

We don't sell your information to third parties.

Author

Andrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Editor

Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.

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