What Does It Actually Cost to Live in Santa Monica in 2026?
Santa Monica prices range from under $1M in Mid-City condos to $4.8M or more in North of Montana. Here's what actually shapes value in 2026.
What does it actually cost to live in Santa Monica in 2026? The city-wide median sale price was $1,743,956 in May 2026, up 1.1% from a year earlier (Redfin). That single figure covers a lot of ground: it blends condos in Mid-City selling in the $900,000s with single-family homes in North of Montana that clear $4 million and up. Santa Monica isn't one market. It's five or six, stacked inside 8.3 square miles, and which one applies to you depends entirely on which streets you're looking at.
The character of the city
Santa Monica is its own incorporated city, not a Los Angeles neighborhood, which matters more than it sounds like it should (more on that below). It sits between the Pacific Palisades bluffs to the north and Venice to the south, with the Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade anchoring the middle of the coastline. Ocean Avenue runs the length of Palisades Park along the bluff; Montana Avenue, a few blocks inland, carries the boutiques and cafes that give the North of Montana area its name. Current inventory across the city, and the broader Los Angeles market around it, is browsable through Grey Square's Los Angeles search.
It's also one of the most walkable cities in the country. Santa Monica carries an overall Walk Score of 83 and is ranked the 12th most walkable city in the United States (Walk Score; Santa Monica Daily Press). Big Blue Bus and the Metro E Line both run through the city, and a fair number of daily errands here don't require a car at all, which is unusual for this part of the county and shapes what buyers are willing to pay for a walkable block versus one that isn't.
Price bands by micro-area
Based on current Redfin neighborhood data, the price range across Santa Monica breaks down roughly like this:
| Area | Recent median | Property type |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-City | $965,000 | Condos and smaller multi-family, more affordable stock |
| Ocean Park | $1.49M to $1.69M | Mixed condos, townhomes, bungalow-style single-family |
| Downtown Santa Monica | $2.0M | High-rise and mid-rise condos, some historic single-family |
| Sunset Park | $2.17M to $2.5M | Single-family, mostly built mid-century and later |
| North of Montana | $4.1M to $4.8M | Larger single-family estates, beachfront-adjacent |
(Sources: Redfin Mid-City, Redfin Ocean Park, Redfin Downtown Santa Monica, Redfin Sunset Park, Redfin North of Montana.)
Mid-City has actually softened over the past year, with prices down about 10% and homes taking longer to sell than they did in 2025. Sunset Park and North of Montana have moved the other way, both posting year-over-year gains in the double digits as buyers compete for the more limited single-family stock in those pockets.
How it compares to the neighbors
Venice, just south along the coast, runs a similar price range in its beachfront pockets but carries more of a bohemian, mixed-use character and its own set of Coastal Commission questions (we covered Venice's price bands and coastal rules in a separate guide). Moving inland and north, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades sit at a higher average price point on larger, more private lots, without the boardwalk density Santa Monica has near the pier. Compared to the canyon and hillside luxury markets further east, like the Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica's lots are flatter and its blocks are laid out on a grid, which is part of why it's so walkable and part of why parking and lot size work differently here than they do in a canyon.
Two transfer taxes, two different bills
This is the detail that trips up a lot of sellers moving between markets: the City of Los Angeles's Measure ULA mansion tax does not apply in Santa Monica, because Santa Monica is its own incorporated city with its own transfer tax code. Instead, Santa Monica has Measure GS, a separate three-tier documentary transfer tax structure. The first $5 million of a sale is taxed at $3.00 per $1,000 of value, the tier from $5 million to $8 million is taxed at $6.00 per $1,000, and any amount at $8 million or above is taxed at $56.00 per $1,000, or 5.6% (City of Santa Monica). Revenue funds homelessness prevention, affordable housing, and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
For a seller weighing a Santa Monica listing against a comparable one just over the city line in West LA or Los Angeles proper, this is a real number to run before setting a price, not after an offer comes in. An $8 million-plus Santa Monica sale and an $8 million-plus Los Angeles city sale land in genuinely different tax brackets under two different local ordinances.
The Coastal Commission and what's changing
Santa Monica's entire coastal zone, which covers most of the city west of Lincoln Boulevard, falls under California Coastal Commission jurisdiction, meaning many exterior improvements, additions, and some remodels need a coastal development permit on top of the standard city building permit. That's been slow and unpredictable for years, but it's shifting: in June 2026, the city signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coastal Commission to work toward completing Santa Monica's Local Coastal Program, with a goal of certification by the end of 2027 (City of Santa Monica). Once certified, the city would gain more local authority over routine coastal-zone approvals, which could eventually speed up permitting for anyone planning work on a property west of Lincoln. It's not finished yet, and buyers planning a remodel on a coastal-zone property should still budget for the current permitting timeline, not the one the city is working toward.
Fire zones and rent control, briefly
Most of flat, coastal Santa Monica sits outside the high-severity wildfire zones that shape buying decisions in the hills and canyons further east. That said, updated CAL FIRE mapping has expanded the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone designation along the city's northern edge, nearer the Santa Monica Mountains, so it isn't a blanket exemption (City of Santa Monica Fire Hazard Severity Zones). Anyone buying near the northern city limit should check a specific parcel's zone status before assuming coastal Santa Monica is automatically outside the Natural Hazard Disclosure requirement. We've covered how that kind of zone designation affects insurance availability in more detail in a separate post on FAIR Plan rate increases.
Separately, Santa Monica has one of the oldest and strictest rent control ordinances in California, administered by its own Rent Control Board (City of Santa Monica). That matters most for anyone buying a property with existing tenants or a 2-plus-unit building, where the ordinance affects both the timeline and the economics of the purchase.
Considering a purchase or sale in Santa Monica? Schedule a private consultation to talk through pricing by micro-area, current inventory, and how the city's separate tax and coastal rules change the numbers compared to a Los Angeles city address.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to live in Santa Monica in 2026? The city-wide median sale price was $1,743,956 as of May 2026 (Redfin). Actual prices vary widely by area, from under $1 million in Mid-City condos to $4 million and up in North of Montana single-family homes.
Does the Los Angeles Measure ULA mansion tax apply in Santa Monica? No. Measure ULA is a City of Los Angeles ordinance, and Santa Monica is a separate incorporated city not subject to it. Santa Monica has its own transfer tax structure instead.
What is Measure GS and when does it apply to a Santa Monica sale? Measure GS added a third tier to Santa Monica's documentary transfer tax: $56.00 per $1,000 of value (5.6%) on the portion of a sale at $8 million or above, on top of the standard $3.00 and $6.00 per $1,000 tiers below that (City of Santa Monica).
Is Santa Monica in a wildfire hazard zone? Most of the flat, coastal part of the city is not, but updated CAL FIRE mapping has expanded Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone coverage along the city's northern edge near the mountains (City of Santa Monica). Parcel-specific zone status is worth checking before making an offer near the northern city limit.
How walkable is Santa Monica? Very. The city carries an overall Walk Score of 83 and ranks as the 12th most walkable city in the United States (Walk Score; Santa Monica Daily Press).
Start a conversation about buying or selling in Santa Monica to get current inventory and pricing for the specific area you're considering.
About the author
Santa Monica sits right at the edge of Grey Square's core Hollywood Hills and Westside coverage, and the conversation I have most often with buyers moving between the two is how differently the tax and permitting picture works once you cross the city line. It's a detail that's easy to miss and expensive to miss.
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.