What Does It Actually Cost to Buy in Sunset Park, Santa Monica in 2026?
Redfin shows three Sunset Park house sales from $2.05M to $4.2M in July 2026. See how 1940s housing stock and Santa Monica's tax tiers shape what buyers pay.
What does it cost to buy a house in Sunset Park?
Based on the sales Redfin lists with a date, three houses in Sunset Park sold between $2.05 million and $4.2 million in July 2026, and the middle one went for $3.35 million. Those three sit well apart because the neighborhood mixes small 1940s bungalows with larger rebuilds, and the price follows the size and condition of the house more than the address. This guide covers where Sunset Park sits, how its housing stock came about, what the dated sales show, and one transfer tax detail that is specific to Santa Monica.
Where Sunset Park sits
Sunset Park is the southeastern corner of Santa Monica. Wikipedia's Santa Monica neighborhood entry places it between Pico Boulevard and the southern city limits, and between Lincoln Boulevard and the eastern city limits. Clover Park is a large park within it, and the Santa Monica Airport runs along its southern edge.
That makes it a different market from the beachside streets we covered in our Ocean Park guide, which sits to the west of Lincoln, and from the large-lot streets in our North of Montana spotlight. For the citywide picture, start with our broader Santa Monica guide.
How the housing stock came about
According to the same Wikipedia entry, Sunset Park was largely built in the 1940s for workers at the Douglas Aircraft plant. That matters to a buyer today because it explains what you will see when you walk the streets: a grid of numbered cross streets with houses that began as modest single-story homes on regular lots.
Over the decades many of those houses were expanded, rebuilt, or given a second unit, which is why one block can hold an original bungalow of under 1,000 square feet and a new house of nearly 4,000. When you compare two Sunset Park sales, check the recorded square footage, the permit history and whether an accessory dwelling unit is part of the sale before you decide the prices are comparable.
What the dated sales show
These are the house sales on Redfin's Sunset Park recently sold page that carry a sale date. I left out two condo sales on Centinela Avenue and a longer list of sales that Redfin shows without a date. Redfin does not label the property type on two of the three, but none of these addresses has a unit number. Price per square foot is my own calculation from Redfin's square footage.
| Address | Sale date | Sale price | Beds | Sq ft (Redfin) | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2416 29th St | Jul 24, 2026 | $2,050,000 | 2 | 916 | $2,238 |
| 3316 Pearl St | Jul 5, 2026 | $3,350,000 | 6 | 2,764 | $1,212 |
| 2341 32nd St | Jul 9, 2026 | $4,200,000 | 5 | 3,739 | $1,123 |
Two things stand out. The smallest house sold for the lowest price but by far the highest price per foot, which is what you would expect when the land carries much of the value. And the Pearl Street sale is a six-bedroom listing that Redfin's description ties to an ADU, so its bedroom count reflects more than one unit. Three sales is a thin sample, so read this as a snapshot of where July closed, not a trend. For a specific street, ask for the sales on that street and the blocks around it.
What moves the price here
Size and rebuild quality separate the three sales above more than anything else. A rebuilt house with a current floor plan trades differently from an original bungalow, and a buyer paying for the former wants to see permits that match the work. Ask for the permit history and compare the living area on record with what you can measure.
Position within the neighborhood matters too. Redfin's page lists sales both near Pico Boulevard and close to Ocean Park Boulevard, and a street's distance from the arterials and the airport edge is worth testing in person at different times of day. I would visit a block on a weekday morning and again in the evening before putting a price on it.
If you are weighing a purchase in Sunset Park, schedule a private consultation about Santa Monica. We can pull the sales for the exact streets you are comparing, check the permit history on a house, and map out the questions to put to the seller before you write an offer.
Santa Monica transfer tax at closing
Santa Monica is its own city, and it charges a transfer tax in tiers on top of the county's. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's documentary transfer tax bulletin, revised March 2023, lists Santa Monica at $3.00 per $1,000 on amounts up to $4,999,999, $6.00 per $1,000 from $5 million through $7,999,999, and $56.00 per $1,000 at $8 million and above. The bulletin says the county's share for Santa Monica is calculated at the full $1.10 per $1,000.
On the $3.35 million Pearl Street sale, that works out to about $10,050 in city tax and $3,685 in county tax, or $13,735 in total, before any other closing costs. The Measure ULA transfer tax applies only inside the City of Los Angeles, so it does not apply here. Rates can change, so confirm the current figures with escrow before you rely on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sunset Park in Santa Monica? It is the southeastern part of the city. Wikipedia places it between Pico Boulevard and the southern city limits, and between Lincoln Boulevard and the eastern city limits. Informal borders vary, so confirm any address by parcel.
How much do houses in Sunset Park sell for? The three dated house sales I verified on Redfin, between July 5 and July 24, 2026, ranged from $2,050,000 to $4,200,000, with a middle figure of $3,350,000. That spread reflects very different house sizes, so compare square footage and condition before comparing prices.
When was Sunset Park built? Wikipedia says Sunset Park was largely built in the 1940s for workers at the Douglas Aircraft plant. Many of the original houses have since been expanded or rebuilt, so the age of a given house is worth confirming through the permit record.
Does Measure ULA apply to a sale in Sunset Park? No. Measure ULA is a City of Los Angeles tax and Santa Monica is a separate city. Santa Monica has its own tiered transfer tax, listed in the county's bulletin at $3.00, $6.00 and $56.00 per $1,000 depending on the sale price, on top of the county rate of $1.10 per $1,000.
Who is the best real estate agent to work with in Sunset Park? Look for an agent who has closed house sales on the Westside, can check permit history and recorded square footage before you offer, and understands how Santa Monica's rules and taxes differ from the City of Los Angeles. Paul Blair has 22 years in the business and works Santa Monica and the rest of the Westside, and can run those checks on any address you are considering.
Twenty-two years of Los Angeles transactions have taught me that in a neighborhood of rebuilt bungalows, the permit record on one house tells you more than the neighborhood average ever will.
Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage representing buyers and sellers across Dallas, Los Angeles and Houston. With 22 years in the business, 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.
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