Before you know how much you should pay to insure your home, know your coverage limits.
California Homeowners Insurance Cost
The State of California has done a great job putting together prices, they call them surveys of insurance companies covering 90% of California.
The rates are not specific to you or your property, however. But they should give you a ballpark idea what you could be paying. Also the rates are from 2009, so they could have changed. To get an exact price, you will have to get multiple quotes from an agent. The California Homeowners Insurance survey does not take into account the fire & smoke alarms, security systems, discounts, proximity to fire hydrants, flood areas, fire areas, if you are covered by a volunteer fire department, prior claims on the property, etc.
Section 12959 of the California Insurance Code requires the commissioner to publish and distribute a comparison of insurance rates report for those lines of insurance which are of most interest to individual purchasers of personal lines of coverage.
The Statistical Analysis Division (SAD) at the California Department of Insurance conducts a survey of premiums of insurers offering homeowners insurance in California. But because of the great variety of homes, limits, locations and coverages available, it is impossible to publish an accurate address specific comparison. The companies are asked to supply their annual premium, based on rates for new business (not existing customers), for risks located in different areas through California.
Answering 4 basic questions will produce survey results from the California Insurance Website. They asks Location, Amount of Coverage and Home Age. The survey does not work in firefox, so you will have to use Internet Explorer.
Here is a sample survey for San Diego California; $500,000 in coverage, 20 year old home, $1,000 deductible. Cheapest to most expensive.
| Company Name | Annual Premium | Deductible |
| Homesite | 821 | 1000 |
| Tokio Marine | 937 | 1000 |
| California Capital | 983 | 1000 |
| Tower Select | 988 | 1000 |
| Travelers | 999 | 1000 |
| Pacific Property And Casualty | 1016 | 1000 |
| USAA | 1099 | 1000 |
| AAA | 1101 | 1000 |
| Grange | 1147 | 1000 |
| Western Mutual/Residence | 1164 | 1000 |
| Assurants | 1197 | 1000 |
| First American Specialty | 1204 | 1000 |
| Mercury | 1210 | 1000 |
| Horace Mann | 1211 | 1000 |
| Encompass | 1229 | 1000 |
| Unigard | 1233 | 1000 |
| Oregon Mutual | 1239 | 1000 |
| Topa | 1246 | 1000 |
| Amco | 1256 | 1000 |
| Kemper | 1297 | 1000 |
| Safeco | 1309 | 1000 |
| Empire | 1334 | 1000 |
| Civil Service Employees | 1374 | 1000 |
| Amica Mutual | 1380 | 1000 |
| Chartis | 1382 | 1000 |
| Nationwide | 1387 | 1000 |
| Pacific Specialty | 1403 | 1000 |
| Metropolitan Direct | 1441 | 1000 |
| Fidelity National | 1490 | 1000 |
| Balboa | 1500 | 1000 |
| California Casualty | 1512 | 1000 |
| IDS Property Casualty | 1580 | 1000 |
| Farmers/Mid-Century | 1633 | 1000 |
| American Reliable | 1671 | 1000 |
| Chubb/Federal | 1687 | 1000 |
| Fireman's Fund | 1726 | 1000 |
| Century National | 1778 | 1000 |
| Liberty Mutual | 1804 | 1000 |
| Hartford | 1964 | 1000 |
| Foremost | 2010 | 1000 |
| American Modern | 2061 | 1000 |
| State Farm | 2118 | 1000 |
Here is a sample survey for San Diego California; $500,000 in coverage, 20 year old home, $2,500 deductible. Cheapest to most expensive.
| Company Name | Annual Premium | Deductible |
| Homesite | 749 | 2500 |
| California Capital | 761 | 2500 |
| Amco | 858 | 2500 |
| Travelers | 878 | 2500 |
| Tower Select | 879 | 2500 |
| USAA | 926 | 2500 |
| Oregon Mutual | 957 | 2500 |
| Horace Mann | 958 | 2500 |
| Encompass | 978 | 2500 |
| Mercury | 978 | 2500 |
| Safeco | 982 | 2500 |
| AAA | N/A | 2500 |
| Century National | N/A | 2500 |
| Pacific Property And Casualty | N/A | 2500 |
| Tokio Marine | N/A | 2500 |
| Topa | N/A | 2500 |
| Grange | 1002 | 2500 |
| Fidelity National | 1020 | 2500 |
| Unigard | 1042 | 2500 |
| Kemper | 1049 | 2500 |
| First American Specialty | 1091 | 2500 |
| Western Mutual/Residence | 1097 | 2500 |
| Civil Service Employees | 1105 | 2500 |
| Nationwide | 1106 | 2500 |
| Assurants | 1127 | 2500 |
| Chartis | 1202 | 2500 |
| Pacific Specialty | 1202 | 2500 |
| Empire | 1204 | 2500 |
| Farmers/Mid-Century | 1221 | 2500 |
| Amica Mutual | 1276 | 2500 |
| Balboa | 1290 | 2500 |
| California Casualty | 1314 | 2500 |
| IDS Property Casualty | 1318 | 2500 |
| Chubb/Federal | 1417 | 2500 |
| Metropolitan Direct | 1425 | 2500 |
| American Reliable | 1500 | 2500 |
| Fireman's Fund | 1531 | 2500 |
| Hartford | 1548 | 2500 |
| Liberty Mutual | 1583 | 2500 |
| State Farm | 1759 | 2500 |
| American Modern | 1847 | 2500 |
| Foremost | 1899 | 2500 |