Photo: Goldenrowley · Public domainEven on the area’s higher pay, Cotati costs more to live in than 95% of U.S. towns
It ranks #513 of 846 in California for affordability. About the same as a year ago, close to the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area ($105K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Cotati’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($105K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 33% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 42% of renters.
In dollars
- $724Ktypical home, 5% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,470a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$105K, Santa Rosa-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 33%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Cotati
Rent is easier on renters here
42% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 55% across California. A standard two-bedroom is 27% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cotati gained 319 residents while 58 new homes were permitted: about 5.5 new residents per new home, against 2.7 across California. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Cotati’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cotati is more affordable than 5% of U.S. towns, #513 of 846 in California. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Values have lagged California: the typical Cotati home is up 5.2% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 5.2% in five years
Slower than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Cotati | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $523,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $574,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $605,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $601,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $636,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $714,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $734,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $740,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $725,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $724,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Cotati home worth $513K in October 2016 is worth about $724K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 7.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Cotati’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $306K short of a typical Cotati home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,470 a month here, $1,770 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Cotati’s typical property tax (0.74% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,470
Renters already here pay a median of $2,056, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Cotati in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 0.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Cotati has permitted 112 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cotati gained 319 residents while 58 new homes were permitted: about 5.5 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across California: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $970,000 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 6 | $2.3 million |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 6 | $2.3 million |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $17.8 million |
| 2020 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $10.5 million |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $135,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $135,000 |
| 2017 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2016 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $743,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $124,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $124,000 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $863,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $647,000 |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $647,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $647,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $647,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $541,000 |
| 2006 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $9.1 million |
| 2005 | 53 | 23 | 30 | $6.9 million |
| 2004 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $14 million |
| 2003 | 182 | 105 | 77 | $25.3 million |
| 2002 | 45 | 41 | 4 | $5.7 million |
| 2001 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $10.8 million |
| 2000 | 58 | 10 | 48 | $3.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the California norm
The median bill is $5,514 (California: $5,124), 0.74% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Cotati vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Cotati has the 2nd-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotati | D− | $724K | $747K | 0.74% | $2,470 |
| Rohnert Park | D− | $707K | $666K | 0.71% | $3,080 |
Questions about the cost of living in Cotati
Is Cotati expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cotati costs more than 95% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #513 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 7.1 years of the median household income of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area ($105K).
How much does a house cost in Cotati?
About $724K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.0% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Cotati?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $182,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $4,240 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $99,000.
How much is rent in Cotati?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,056 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Cotati?
The median bill is $5,514 a year, 0.74% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Cotati going up?
Barely: up 0.0% in the past year and 5.2% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Cotati buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.