Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Orange Cove costs more to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
It ranks #45 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 4.5% in a year, 61% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Fresno, CA metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Orange Cove’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($74K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 28% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 67% of renters.
In dollars
- $296Ktypical home, 61% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,360a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Fresno-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 67%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 28%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Orange Cove, in brief
Values rose faster than California’s over five years
The typical Orange Cove home is up 36% in five years, against 13% across California. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $140K to $296K. Price trend ↓
About two in three renters are stretched
67% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 55% across California. A standard two-bedroom would take 35% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Orange Cove permitted 13 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.1 a year per 1,000 residents. Across California, the pace in 2025 was 2.7. In 2025, Orange Cove permitted 1. New homes ↓
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Orange Cove gained 571 residents while 118 new homes were permitted: about 4.8 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; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Orange Cove’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Orange Cove is more affordable than 38% of U.S. towns, #45 of 846 in California. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced California: the typical Orange Cove home is up 36.3% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 36.3% in five years
Faster than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Orange Cove | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $143,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $152,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $163,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $178,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $198,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $224,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $252,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $254,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $279,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $292,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $296,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Orange Cove home worth $140K in October 2016 is worth about $296K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Orange Cove’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Orange Cove home, with $3K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,360 a month here, $350 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Orange Cove’s typical property tax (0.64% 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 $1,360
Renters already here pay a median of $1,103, 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 (Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Orange Cove in 2025. That's 0.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Orange Cove has permitted 13 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Orange Cove gained 571 residents while 118 new homes were permitted: about 4.8 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) | 1 | 1 | 0 | $54,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $329,000 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $107,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $717,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $358,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $301,000 |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $666,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $208,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 109 | 107 | 2 | $15.4 million |
| 2009 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2008 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2007 | 62 | 54 | 8 | $8.5 million |
| 2006 | 136 | 47 | 89 | $12.7 million |
| 2005 | 105 | 24 | 81 | $9 million |
| 2004 | 84 | 3 | 81 | $5.3 million |
| 2003 | 79 | 1 | 78 | $4 million |
| 2002 | 61 | 54 | 7 | $4 million |
| 2001 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2000 | 124 | 44 | 80 | $6.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the California norm
The median bill is $1,626 (California: $5,124), 0.64% 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+”.
Orange Cove and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Cove | C+ | $296K | $254K | 0.64% | $1,360 |
Questions about the cost of living in Orange Cove
Is Orange Cove expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Orange Cove costs more than 62% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #45 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Fresno, CA metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Orange Cove?
About $296K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.5% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Orange Cove?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $73,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,710 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $54,000.
How much is rent in Orange Cove?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,360 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,103 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Orange Cove?
The median bill is $1,626 a year, 0.64% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Orange Cove going up?
Yes: up 4.5% in the past year and 36.3% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Orange Cove 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. 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.