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California Rental Yield Calculator

Calculate rental yield using California market data. Gross yield uses total rent before expenses; net yield subtracts operating costs — the number that actually matters.

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Property & Income

Operating Expenses(California defaults)

Total Annual Expenses$19,734

Gross vs. Net Rental Yield

Gross rental yield is the simplest comparison metric: annual rent divided by total property cost. It's useful for quick screening but doesn't account for the real cost of ownership.

Net rental yield subtracts operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, vacancy) from income before dividing by cost. This tells you what the property actually earns as a percentage of your investment.

The gap between gross and net reveals your expense ratio — how much of your gross income gets consumed by costs. A tight ratio means more money in your pocket; a wide one means the property is expensive to hold.

California Market Context

Avg Cap Rate

4.2%

Median Price

$833K

Property Tax

0.69%

Vacancy Rate

4.8%

Local Factors

  • -Prop 13 caps property tax increases at 2% per year, benefiting long-term holders
  • -Strict rent control laws in major cities (LA, SF, Oakland) limit rent increases
  • -Wildfire risk is driving insurance costs up dramatically; some areas are becoming uninsurable

Net Rental Yield

1.4%

Low

Gross Rental Yield

3.7%

Annual Gross Income$31,428
Annual Net Income$11,694
Total Investment$857,990
Total Expenses$19,734
Expense Ratio62.8%
Monthly Net Income$975
NET YIELD1.4%
Net Income$11,694
Property Tax$5,748
Insurance$1,633
Maintenance$8,330
Management$2,514
Vacancy$1,509
Other$0

What does this mean?

A net yield below 3% is typical in high-demand markets where appreciation drives returns more than cash flow. You're betting on the asset growing in value.