AduCalcGet My ADU Estimate
California ADU Planning · 2026

See what an ADU could cost, earn, and add to your property.

Estimate build cost, monthly rent, payback, and feasibility for any California property in minutes — with a transparent range, not a guess.

California-specificBuilt from 2024–2026 project dataNo contractor spam
01 · Location

Where is your property?

California ADU costs and rents vary a lot by market. Use your city or a ZIP.

Match · Sacramento (alias)
Popular California markets
§ 01 · What you'll learn

Four numbers every ADU homeowner should see.

Updated monthly · CA 2026 codes
Build cost
$200K–$480K

Range depends on size, finish, and California market.

Monthly rent
$1,600–$3,800

Market rent for a new 600–1,000 sq ft ADU.

Net payback
8–16 yrs

After ~20% operating expense load.

Gross yield
8%–16%

Annual rent ÷ build cost. Pre-financing.

§ 02 · How AduCalc works

Answer five questions. Get a real answer.

01
Answer 5 questions

Location, ADU type, size, finish, goal.

02
See a partial estimate

Your cost, rent, and payback start calculating live.

03
Unlock full results

Your personalized range with all the assumptions behind it.

04
Talk to a specialist

Optional free 15-minute call with a California ADU expert.

§ 03 · Popular markets

Browse California ADU costs by city.

§ 04 · FAQ

Straight answers about California ADUs.

A typical detached ADU in California runs $275–$450 per sq ft before site-specific work, so an 800 sq ft unit usually lands between $220K and $360K. Garage conversions are cheaper ($175–$275/sq ft) and Bay Area markets are ~25% higher than Sacramento.

Next step

Model your ADU potential today.

A 2-minute calculator and a transparent, California-specific estimate. No contractor spam, no guesswork.