What Does It Actually Cost to Buy in Ocean Park, Santa Monica in 2026?
Ocean Park's August 2026 median ran $1.73M, but condos and bungalows share that number. Here is how the sub-markets, the 1895 street grid and Measure GS fit.
What does it actually cost to buy in Ocean Park, Santa Monica in 2026?
According to Redfin's Ocean Park housing market page, the median sale price across all home types was $1,726,167 in August 2026, with homes taking a median of 56 days to sell and closing at 99.4 percent of list price. That number blends condos, townhomes, and houses, so it is a starting point and not a price for any one kind of home. This guide breaks down what sits behind it.
Ocean Park is the stretch of Santa Monica south of the pier and north of the Venice line, in ZIP code 90405. It is a beach-adjacent grid of bungalows, courtyard buildings, and newer townhomes, with Main Street as its spine. It is also one of the few Westside neighborhoods where a 1900s cottage and a contemporary townhome can sit a block apart.
Where the number comes from
Redfin reports 37 homes sold in August 2026, up from 27 a year earlier, and 22.2 percent of them sold above list price. The page rates the market a 51 on its Compete Score, which it labels "somewhat competitive."
Two of the page's own figures pull in different directions, and that is worth reading carefully. The median sale price is up 43.8 percent from a year ago, while the median price per square foot is $987, down 17.5 percent. When the dollar median rises sharply and the per-square-foot figure falls, the usual explanation is that the mix of what sold changed, with more larger or higher-priced homes closing and fewer small units. With only a few dozen sales a month, one or two big closings can move the median. Treat the headline as a snapshot and compare houses to houses and condos to condos when you price a specific property.
The grid Abbot Kinney and Francis Ryan laid out
The neighborhood has a long paper trail. Per Wikipedia's Ocean Park entry, developers Abbot Kinney and Francis G. Ryan named the area Ocean Park in May 1895 as an amusement park and residential project, with a pier, a racetrack, and a golf course nearby. Kinney later turned his attention to the southern end of the property, which became Venice of America. The Ocean Park branch library at 2601 Main Street, a Carnegie-funded building, opened to the public on February 15, 1918, and was designated a Santa Monica landmark in 1977.
That history still shapes the housing stock. The Santa Monica Conservancy's page on the Third Street Neighborhood Historic District describes a district between Ocean Park Boulevard and Hill Street that includes Second, Third, and Beach Streets, with 38 contributing buildings. It counts 27 original bungalows built between 1903 and 1915, along with the 1893 Hostetter House and later Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow courts.
If you are considering a home in or near a designated district, ask early what review applies to exterior changes. A parcel on the right side of a district line can come with a different permitting path than one a block over, and that belongs in your due diligence before you write an offer.
Main Street, Ocean Park Boulevard, and the beach
Islands magazine's profile of the area describes Ocean Park as centered on Main Street between Colorado and Rose Avenues, lined with boutiques, galleries, and cafes, with a Sunday farmers market running from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dorothy Green Park sits at the end of Ocean Park Boulevard, and the Strand bike path runs along the waterfront.
For a buyer, the practical point is proximity. Walking distance to Main Street, the beach path, and the cafes is a feature you can measure with a map, and it tends to show up in pricing. The same blocks can read very differently on an interior block versus a corner near the commercial strip, so visit at different times of day before you commit.
A lifeguard tower on a Westside beach. Stock photograph, not a specific property.
Three ways to buy in Ocean Park
Rather than one market, think of three property types, each with its own comparables:
| Property type | What it usually looks like | What to compare against |
|---|---|---|
| Historic bungalows and cottages | Small early-1900s homes on interior streets, some inside designated districts | Other pre-war houses with similar lot size and renovation level |
| Courtyard and multi-unit buildings | Bungalow courts and small apartment buildings | Income and unit mix, plus rent rules for the specific property |
| Newer townhomes and condos | Modern attached homes, often closer to Main Street and the beach | Recent condo and townhome sales in the same building or block |
I am not quoting a price range for each row because the public data I can verify is the blended Redfin figure above. A confidential comparison built from closed sales on your specific block will tell you far more than any neighborhood median. You can browse current inventory on our Los Angeles search page to see what is listed today.
Santa Monica's transfer tax, not Los Angeles's
Ocean Park is in Santa Monica, which is a separate city from Los Angeles. That matters for one cost in particular. The Measure ULA "mansion tax" applies to sales inside the City of Los Angeles above the thresholds listed by the Los Angeles Office of Finance, so it does not apply to an Ocean Park sale.
Santa Monica has its own tax. Under Measure GS, approved in November 2022, the city's documentary transfer tax is $3.00 per $1,000 below $5 million, $6.00 per $1,000 from $5 million to just under $8 million, and $56.00 per $1,000 at $8 million and above, applied to the full sale price. At the prices in the Redfin median above, the third tier does not come into play, but it is the reason sellers of larger North of Montana estates price carefully around the $8 million line, which we covered in our North of Montana market spotlight. A voter initiative that would cap local transfer taxes has been discussed, per CalMatters, so check the current rules before you model a sale.
If you are weighing a purchase here, schedule a private consultation and we can walk through the numbers for a specific property.
Climate and insurance questions to ask
Redfin's page includes First Street climate data for the neighborhood. It lists flood risk as moderate, with 12 percent of properties likely to be severely affected over the next 30 years, fire risk as minimal at under 1 percent of properties, and heat risk as severe for 82 percent of properties. Those are modeled projections, not forecasts for any one house, but they point to useful questions. Ask about flood and drainage history, request a homeowners insurance quote before contingencies come off, and confirm whether a parcel sits in the coastal zone, because coastal rules can affect remodels.
How Ocean Park compares with its neighbors
To the south, Venice has its own character and a different mix of canals and walk streets. Our Venice neighborhood guide covers it in detail. To the north and inland, the market changes again, and our Santa Monica neighborhood guide covers the broader city. Ocean Park generally sits between the two in feel, with beach access and a walkable commercial street but without the large-lot estates that define 90402.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Ocean Park, Santa Monica? Redfin reported a median sale price of $1,726,167 for August 2026 across all home types, up 43.8 percent from a year earlier, with a median price per square foot of $987. Because the figure includes condos and townhomes, compare against the specific property type you are considering.
Does Measure ULA apply to Ocean Park home sales? No. Measure ULA applies to sales within the City of Los Angeles, per the Los Angeles Office of Finance, and Ocean Park is in the City of Santa Monica. Santa Monica's own Measure GS transfer tax applies instead, with a top tier at $8 million.
Is Ocean Park a historic area? Parts of it are. The neighborhood dates to an 1895 development by Abbot Kinney and Francis Ryan, and the Santa Monica Conservancy describes a Third Street historic district with 38 contributing buildings. Confirm whether a specific parcel is inside a district before planning exterior work.
How competitive is the Ocean Park market right now? Redfin scores it 51, "somewhat competitive," with homes selling in a median of 56 days at 99.4 percent of list price in August 2026. Conditions vary by property type and block.
Who is a good real estate agent to work with in Ocean Park? Look for an agent who has closed transactions in Santa Monica specifically, understands Measure GS and coastal-zone rules, and can pull comparable sales for your property type rather than relying on a blended median. Paul Blair has 22 years in the business and more than $200 million in closed transactions, working across the Westside and the Hollywood Hills. If you are buying in Ocean Park, schedule a private consultation to talk through the specific property.
Twenty-two years of Westside transactions have taught me that in a beach neighborhood with this much variety, the right comparable is the one on the same block and property type, and Ocean Park rewards that discipline. Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage representing buyers and sellers across Dallas and Los Angeles. With 22 years in the business and more than $200 million in closed transactions, Paul works the full range of the market, from luxury homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow to estates in the Hollywood Hills and across the Westside. Connect with Paul and the Grey Square team at greysq.com. TX TREC #9011505 · CA DRE #01792671.
Thinking about buying a home in Ocean Park? Schedule a private consultation.