San Diego County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for San Diego County, California - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.11%
- ≈ $440 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $10,893
- median of 17,771 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
San Diego County compared with California counties
In the verified California county records we have, San Diego County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #2 of 18 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $440, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #2 of 18
- within verified California county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $440
- state baseline $440
- HMDA fee sample
- 17,771
- purchase loans in 2023
San Diego County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in San Diego County
Seller customarily pays.
Recording fees in San Diego County
County documentary transfer tax $1.10/$1,000. Recording first page $25, $3 each additional page, plus possible $75 SB2 fee. Most San Diego cities do not levy an additional city transfer tax.
Official recorder: San Diego County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in San Diego County
Across 17,771 home-purchase mortgages originated in San Diego County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $10,893, of which about $4,488 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.
Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 06073, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your San Diego County closing costs
Pre-set to California. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in San Diego County?
San Diego County (California): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%. Seller customarily pays.
What are recording fees in San Diego County?
County documentary transfer tax $1.10/$1,000. Recording first page $25, $3 each additional page, plus possible $75 SB2 fee. Most San Diego cities do not levy an additional city transfer tax.
How much are closing costs in San Diego County?
Closing costs in San Diego County follow California's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.
What do lenders charge in fees in San Diego County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 17,771 home-purchase mortgages in San Diego County were about $10,893, of which roughly $4,488 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.
Closest California county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.