Hi everyone,

Here’s a Southern California trivia question:

Which has the higher property-tax rate: Beverly Hills or Compton?

If you guessed Beverly Hills because the houses cost approximately the GDP of a small island nation…

You’d be wrong.

The median effective property-tax rate in Beverly Hills is about 1.22%.

In Compton?

About 1.90%.

Yes, really.

That got me curious.

So I started looking at property-tax rates throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to see which communities tend to have the highest—and lowest—rates.

And there are some surprises.

Before we get to the rankings, one important disclaimer:

California Property Taxes Are Weird

California starts with a 1% general property-tax levy on assessed value.

Then come the extras.

Depending on where your house is located, your bill can include voter-approved bonds, school debt, special districts and direct assessments. Both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties divide properties into different Tax Rate Areas, meaning two homes in the same city can actually have different total bills.

So there is no single magical “Agoura Hills tax rate” or “Simi Valley tax rate” that applies perfectly to every house.

For this comparison, I’m using median effective property-tax rates compiled from property records. Think of these as a useful citywide snapshot—not a quote for your individual property.

With that out of the way…

Let the Property Tax Olympics begin.

Ventura County: Highest to Lowest

Here’s how Ventura County’s incorporated cities stack up based on median effective rates:

1. Ojai — 1.22%

Our charming little valley takes the crown.

Apparently tranquility, oak trees and a pink sunset do not exempt you from property taxes.

2. Simi Valley — 1.21%

This one surprised me.

Simi comes in noticeably higher than neighboring Moorpark and Thousand Oaks in the median data.

3. Oxnard — 1.20%

3. Port Hueneme — 1.20%

A tie.

Both coastal communities land near the higher end of Ventura County’s incorporated cities.

5. Santa Paula — 1.13%

6. Thousand Oaks — 1.12%

7. Fillmore — 1.11%

8. Camarillo — 1.09%

9. Ventura — 1.08%

And the winner of the coveted “Please Take Slightly Less of My Money” Award…

10. Moorpark — 1.07%

Moorpark has the lowest median effective rate among Ventura County’s incorporated cities in this dataset.

For comparison, Ventura County overall comes in at about 1.15%.

That means the difference between communities isn’t enormous—but on an expensive property, small percentages stop feeling small very quickly.

For example, a difference of just 0.15 percentage points is roughly $1,500 per year for every $1 million of assessed value.

Suddenly 0.15% sounds considerably less adorable.

Now Let’s Head to Los Angeles County

This is where things get interesting.

Los Angeles County’s overall median effective rate is approximately 1.29%, compared with Ventura County’s 1.15%.

But the variation within L.A. County is enormous.

Some of the Highest Rates in L.A. County

Among incorporated cities, the upper end includes:

1. Compton — 1.90%

2. Bell — 1.67%

2. Lancaster — 1.67%

4. Palmdale — 1.66%

5. Avalon — 1.65%

5. Bell Gardens — 1.65%

7. Huntington Park — 1.62%

8. Montebello — 1.56%

9. Lynwood — 1.54%

10. Maywood — 1.52%

That Compton number is particularly striking.

A 1.90% effective rate versus 1.10% isn’t a rounding error.

On $1 million of assessed value, the difference between those percentages would be roughly $8,000 per year.

Or, expressed in homeowner language:

That’s a very nice vacation.

Every year.

Forever.

The Los Angeles County data shows just how dramatically local bonds and assessments can change the picture from one area to another.

And the Lowest in L.A. County?

Now for the other side of the leaderboard.

Hermosa Beach — 1.10%

Glendale — 1.12%

Burbank — 1.13%

El Segundo — 1.13%

Hidden Hills — 1.14%

La Cañada Flintridge — 1.16%

Then there’s a group around 1.17%, including:

Manhattan Beach

Pasadena

Sierra Madre

Westlake Village

Which leads to perhaps the funniest lesson in this entire exercise:

Expensive real estate does not necessarily mean a high property-tax RATE.

Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Manhattan Beach and Westlake Village are not exactly bargain-bin housing markets.

Yet their median rates sit near the lower end of Los Angeles County.

Meanwhile, several communities with substantially less expensive housing have much higher rates.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean the person in Hermosa Beach writes a smaller property-tax check.

If one person is paying 1.10% on a $3 million assessed value and another is paying 1.50% on $500,000, the first homeowner is still going to need the larger envelope.

One Comparison I Found Particularly Interesting

Look at the Conejo Valley.

Moorpark: 1.07%

Thousand Oaks: 1.12%

Agoura Hills: 1.18%

Westlake Village: 1.17%

Calabasas: 1.21%

Drive a relatively short distance and the median rate changes.

For homeowners, that may just be an interesting piece of trivia.

For buyers comparing two similarly priced homes on opposite sides of the county line, it can affect the monthly payment.

And that’s before we even get into newer communities with Mello-Roos or other special assessments.

That’s where the property-tax conversation can go from:

“That’s not too bad.”

to:

“Excuse me, what is this line on the tax bill?”

So What Should You Actually Take Away From This?

Three things.

First, never assume the property-tax rate just because you know the city.

Check the actual property.

Second, if you’re buying, don’t simply multiply the purchase price by 1%.

Your eventual bill may be higher once local bonds and assessments are included.

And third, if you’re selling, this can actually matter when comparing your home to competing properties.

Two homes with nearly identical prices can have meaningfully different monthly ownership costs.

Buyers notice that—especially when affordability is already tight.

If you’re curious what the taxes look like on your specific property, send me the address.

I’m happy to take a look.

Because apparently in Southern California, even the tax bill has three favorite words:

Location, location, location.

Best,

David Samuels
Keller Williams World Class

Data note: Rankings above use median effective property-tax rates from property-record data available in 2026. Exact rates and bills vary by parcel, Tax Rate Area, assessed value, voter-approved debt and direct/special assessments. Los Angeles and Ventura County tax authorities should be used for the exact amount on an individual property.