Oakland charges one of the highest transfer taxes in California on an ordinary home. It is not a tax aimed at the top of the market — the rate on a normally priced house is already more than ten times the county base, which makes it a material line in almost every Oakland closing rather than a curiosity affecting a few sales a year.
Combined city and county rate, applied to the whole sale price.
| Sale price | Combined rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $300k | 1.11% |
| $300k – $2m | 1.61% |
| $2m – $5m | 1.86% |
| Over $5m | 2.61% |
Rates from California City Documentary and Property Transfer Tax Rates , CaliforniaCityFinance.com — California Local Government Finance Almanac, effective 1 December 2025. Rates change by local ballot measure — check that date before relying on a figure.
Every figure below is calculated from the rates above. The last column is what the same sale would owe in a California city with no transfer tax of its own, where only the county’s $1.10 per $1,000 applies.
| Sale price | Effective rate | Transfer tax in Oakland | Elsewhere in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 1.11% | $2,775 | $275 |
| $600,000 | 1.61% | $9,660 | $660 |
| $1,200,000 | 1.61% | $19,320 | $1,320 |
| $2,500,000 | 1.86% | $46,500 | $2,750 |
| $6,000,000 | 2.61% | $156,600 | $6,600 |
| $9,000,000 | 2.61% | $234,900 | $9,900 |
Eight of the twenty-five California cities with their own transfer tax are in Alameda County — Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Albany, Emeryville, Hayward, Piedmont and San Leandro. No other county comes close to that concentration, and the rates are high across the group rather than in one outlier.
The practical consequence is that in this part of the Bay Area the transfer tax is a real factor in choosing between neighbouring cities. A short distance across a municipal boundary can change the charge by thousands of dollars on the same price, which is not true in most of California.
Oakland’s tiers begin at a much lower price than the headline-grabbing thresholds in Los Angeles or San Francisco. Where those cities apply their steep rates only to expensive property, Oakland’s structure steps up within the range of an ordinary house, so the tier that applies is a live question for most sellers rather than only for the top of the market.
As everywhere in California the tiers are slab rates: crossing a threshold re-rates the entire sale price rather than the excess alone.
Transfer tax on a $1,000,000 sale, so the cities are directly comparable. At other prices the order can change — these are tiered taxes.
Oakland is a charter city, which is what allows a California city to levy a transfer tax of its own above the county rate. It sits in Alameda County, where eight cities do so — the greatest concentration in the state — and rates there are high across the group rather than in a single outlier.
Both are high, and which is more expensive depends on the price. Berkeley’s rate steps up at its own threshold, and its rates are scheduled to change from 1 January 2027 under Measure W, approved in November 2024. Compare a specific price rather than relying on a general impression.
Nothing in statute assigns it. In Northern California it is more often split or negotiated than automatically charged to the seller. Given the amounts involved in Alameda County, it is worth settling explicitly in the contract.
The calculator opens preset to Oakland and shows transfer tax alongside escrow, title, recording and the rest. Free, and no account.
KindHome is a technology platform operated by KCF LLC, not a licensed brokerage, law firm or tax adviser. This page explains published rates; it is not tax advice. Confirm anything consequential with your escrow officer.