West LA Neighborhood Guide
Santa Monica
Its own city by the beach, from North of Montana to Ocean Park.
Free Buyer’s GuideFree Seller’s GuideSanta Monica is its own city, not a neighborhood of Los Angeles, with its own schools, police, rent control and transfer taxes, all inside about eight square miles between the Santa Monica Mountains and the beach. Life here splits into pockets that feel very different: the wide streets North of Montana, the condo blocks of Wilshire Montana and Mid-City, downtown around the Promenade, and Ocean Park and Sunset Park to the south.
Over the last year, Santa Monica houses sold for a median of $3,498,850 and condos for about $1,297,000. I’ve closed seven sales and nine leases on Ocean Park Boulevard alone, so this is a city I know building by building.
Updated October 2026
Last 12 months, houses and condos priced $450,000 and up. Source: TheMLS, October 21, 2026. Details in the market snapshot below.
Santa Monica market snapshot
Santa Monica rewards sellers who price it right and punishes those who don’t. Homes that sold in their first month went for about 102.1% of asking on average, but only about half of all listings that came off the market actually sold, and the city has about 5.1 months of supply. Houses move faster than condos: a median of 18 days versus 28.
What happened to every listing
579 listings came off the market without selling. 414 of them (72%) came back with a new listing, and 146 of those sold.
How fast homes sell, and for how much
Homes that sold in the first 30 days averaged 102.1% of asking. After 120 days, 91.8%.
Houses vs. condos
Santa Monica houses sell for about $1,597 a square foot, condos for about $967.
Santa Monica (ZIP codes 90401 to 90405, City of Santa Monica addresses only), houses and condos priced $450,000 and up, listed through TheMLS, October 21, 2025 to October 21, 2026. Sold counts exclude 54 sales recorded off the MLS. “Relisted” means a listing was canceled, expired or withdrawn and the same home was listed again during the period; a home relisted more than once counts each time. Days on market as reported in TheMLS. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
| Last 12 months | Sold | Median price | Median $/sq ft | Median days | Sale-to-list | Listings that sold | Months of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | 237 | $3,498,850 | $1,597 | 18 | 99.3% | 58% | 4.5 |
| Condos | 372 | $1,297,000 | $967 | 28 | 98.7% | 48% | 5.5 |
| All Santa Monica | 609 | $1,800,000 | $1,126 | 22 | 98.9% | 51% | 5.1 |
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“I had the pleasure of working with him on 2621 Centinela #7, and the experience was seamless from start to finish.”
Amanda B. · Santa Monica · Nov 2025 · Read more reviews
Santa Monica values, pocket by pocket
A Santa Monica address can mean almost anything. Over the last year, condos in Mid-City and around Pico sold for a median of about $1.01M, while houses North of Montana went for about $5.29M. Street by street the gap is even wider: condos on Franklin Street sold for about $674,000, houses on Urban Avenue in Sunset Park for about $1.5 million, and houses on Georgina Avenue, north of Montana, for about $9.6 million. I price every home off its own pocket and its own block, never a citywide average.
Median sale price by pocket
Median of sales of $450,000 and up, last 12 months. Pockets drawn from ZIP codes and the Wilshire Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard lines. Source: TheMLS, October 21, 2026. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Renting in Santa Monica
Santa Monica is one of the busiest rental markets on the Westside: 1,157 leases were signed through the MLS in the last year at a median of $4,795 a month. One-bedrooms ran about $3,138, two-bedrooms about $5,000 and three-bedrooms about $7,275. Most apartments built before 1979 fall under the city's rent control law, which matters a lot if you are buying a building or a home with a tenant in it. I've leased the same Ocean Park Boulevard condo for one owner five times, and two others on that street twice each.
Median rent by bedrooms
Leases signed through TheMLS, October 21, 2025 to October 21, 2026, City of Santa Monica addresses. Bedroom groups with fewer than three leases are left out. Plenty of rentals never reach the MLS, so treat this as a strong sample, not a census. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Santa Monica at a glance
| Santa Monica | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Its own city since 1886, with its own police, fire, schools and rent control board |
| ZIP codes | 90401 (Downtown), 90402 (North of Montana), 90403, 90404 and 90405 |
| Homes | Traditional and new-construction houses, Craftsman cottages, condos from small buildings to oceanfront towers |
| Median sale price | Houses $3,498,850. Condos $1,297,000 (12 months to October 2026) |
| Sales in the last 12 months | 237 houses and 372 condos |
| School district | Santa Monica-Malibu Unified |
| Transfer tax | City and county combined: $4.10 per $1,000 under $5 million, $7.10 from $5 million to $8 million, and $57.10 at $8 million and up |
| Getting out | The 10 freeway starts here. The Metro E Line runs from downtown Santa Monica to downtown LA |
Santa Monica, pocket by pocket
North of Montana
The streets between Montana Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard, mostly ZIP 90402. Wide lots, mature trees, traditional homes from the 1920s through the 1950s and a lot of new construction. Montana Avenue's shops and cafes are the main street. Houses here sold for a median of $5.29M, about $1,767 a square foot, and the few condos for about $2.0M. See the full North of Montana guide.
Wilshire Montana
Between Wilshire Boulevard and Montana Avenue. This is condo and townhome country, with houses on the side streets, and an easy walk to both Montana and Wilshire. Condos here sold for a median of about $1.44M and houses for about $3.35M.
Downtown
Around the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place, the pier and the E Line's last stop, ZIP 90401. Almost all condos, many with doormen and ocean views. The median condo sold for about $1.18M last year, though the best ocean-view units on Ocean Avenue sell for several times that.
Mid-City and Pico
South of Wilshire to the city line, around Santa Monica College, Bergamot Station and Pico Boulevard. The most attainable part of the city: condos sold for a median of about $1.01M and houses for about $1.7M, with the 26th Street and 17th Street E Line stations close by.
Ocean Park
South of Pico and west of Lincoln, with Main Street's shops and restaurants and the beach a few blocks away. Craftsman cottages, small condo buildings and some of the city's best walkability. Houses sold for a median of about $2.61M, condos for about $1.33M.
Sunset Park
South of Pico and east of Lincoln, up toward Clover Park and the airport. Quieter streets, more single-family homes and more space for the money than Ocean Park. Houses sold for a median of about $2.76M, condos for about $1.01M.
Where I eat and drink in Santa Monica
Santa Monica is my favorite place on the Westside to eat a burger, and I will argue about the best one with anybody. These are my go-tos.
Burger
Heavy Handed
2912 Main Street, Ocean Park
Smash burgers on a short-rib blend with Heavy Sauce. Get the Heavy Fries too.
The original burger
Father's Office
1018 Montana Avenue
The Office Burger, no substitutions and no ketchup, with a long list of beers on tap.
The fancy burger
Pasjoli
2732 Main Street
Dave Beran's Michelin-starred French bistro. I go for the burger.
Thai
Holy Basil
2828 Santa Monica Boulevard
Jasberry fried rice with Dungeness crab and the beef shank curry.
Sandwiches
Bread Head
1518 Montana Avenue
Focaccia sandwiches. Start with the Combo Grinder. Check the hours, it is not open every day.
Deli
Bay Cities Italian Deli
1517 Lincoln Boulevard
A Santa Monica institution. My order: the fried turkey sandwich or the meatball sub. Order ahead online, the line is real.
Dumplings
Din Tai Fung
395 Santa Monica Place
Xiao long bao at the top of the Promenade, with a view of the ocean.
Crudo and wine
Crudo e Nudo
2724 Main Street
Crudo, tuna tartare on Gjusta bread and natural wine. A small fish market too.
Buying in Santa Monica: what buyers get wrong
Most buyers shop Santa Monica as one market. It is really six or seven, and a condo on one side of Wilshire can sell for hundreds of thousands more than a similar one a few blocks away. Compare homes inside the same pocket, and in the same building when you can.
Read the HOA documents closely. Many Santa Monica condo buildings are 1960s and 1970s construction, and I look hard at reserves, upcoming special assessments, seismic work and whether the building allows rentals before my clients write an offer.
If a home comes with a tenant, find out whether the unit falls under Santa Monica rent control before you fall in love with it. It changes what you can do with the property and when.
Selling in Santa Monica: what to know
Price it right the first week. Homes that sold in their first 30 days averaged 102.1% of asking last year; homes that sat past 120 days averaged 91.8%. And almost half of all listings came off the market without selling.
Plan for the city, too. Santa Monica has its own transfer tax on top of the county's, and its own rules for tenant-occupied homes. I walk my sellers through the numbers before we list, so the net check holds no surprises.
What is your home worth?
Tell me the address and I will send you a value based on recent sales on your street, not an online estimate.
Schools
Santa Monica is served by Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, with Santa Monica High School (Samohi) as the main public high school. Elementary and middle school assignments depend on the address, so confirm the attendance area with the district for any home you are considering. There are also well-known private schools across the city.
Getting around
Santa Monica is one of the few places on the Westside where you can live without driving much. The Metro E Line stops at 26th Street/Bergamot, 17th Street/SMC and Downtown Santa Monica, the Big Blue Bus covers the city, and the beach bike path runs south to Venice and the Marina. The 10 freeway starts at the coast, and LAX is usually 25 to 40 minutes away depending on traffic.
“Brett never gave up, never made us feel like we were asking for too much and kept fighting for us until we found the right home.”
Paulina M. · Aug 2026 · Read more reviews
Questions buyers and sellers ask
Is Santa Monica part of Los Angeles?
No. Santa Monica has been its own city since 1886. It has its own police and fire departments, its own school district (Santa Monica-Malibu Unified), its own rent control law and its own transfer tax. Measure ULA, the City of Los Angeles "mansion tax," does not apply here.
What are the Santa Monica ZIP codes?
90401 is downtown, 90402 is mostly North of Montana, 90403 covers Wilshire Montana and part of Mid-City, 90404 covers Mid-City and the Pico neighborhood, and 90405 covers Ocean Park and Sunset Park.
How much is the transfer tax in Santa Monica?
The city charges $3 per $1,000 of the sale price under $5 million, $6 per $1,000 from $5 million to just under $8 million, and $56 per $1,000 (5.6%) at $8 million and up, the top tier added by Measure GS in 2023. LA County adds $1.10 per $1,000. Sellers customarily pay it.
Does rent control apply to condos and houses?
Santa Monica rent control mainly covers apartments built before April 1979. State law generally exempts single-family homes and condos from the city's rent limits, but other tenant protections can still apply, so check the specific property with the Rent Control Board before you buy a home with a tenant in it.
Can I rent my Santa Monica home on Airbnb?
Only as home-sharing, where you live on site during the stay and hold a city business license and registration. Renting out a whole home or condo for less than 30 days while you are away is not allowed in Santa Monica.
How fast do homes sell in Santa Monica?
Over the last 12 months the median house sold in 18 days and the median condo in 28. About half of all listings that came off the market sold; the rest were pulled or expired, usually because of price.
When does the Santa Monica Airport close?
The city and the federal government agreed the airport can close at the end of 2028, and the city is planning a large park on the site. Homes near the airport could see less noise, but the timeline and plans are still being worked out.
Do I need a coastal permit to remodel?
Parts of Santa Monica are in the California Coastal Zone, where additions, rebuilds and some remodels need a Coastal Development Permit. Check before you plan a project.
Nearby areas
- Venice
- Mar Vista and Palms
- Culver City
- Marina del Rey and Del Rey
- Playa Vista
- Pacific Palisades
- Malibu
My recent work in Santa Monica
Ocean Park Boulevard is home base for me in Santa Monica. Sales where I represented the seller or the buyer:
Sold
140 Ocean Park Blvd #626
$2,260,000
Sold
122 Ocean Park Blvd #411
two sales: $1,652,000 and $1,601,000
Sold
150 Ocean Park Blvd #325
two sales: $1,500,000 and $1,425,000
Sold
140 Ocean Park Blvd #427
$1,525,000
Sold
150 Ocean Park Blvd #427
$1,450,000
Sold
2621 Centinela Ave
$500,000
Leases I handled for owners include 140 Ocean Park Blvd #427 (five times), 122 Ocean Park Blvd #411 and 150 Ocean Park Blvd #325 (twice each). As part of a team I also worked on sales at 101 Ocean Ave, 2536 4th Street, 677 San Lorenzo, 1121 California Avenue and several condos on 4th Street.
Thinking about Santa Monica?
Whether you are buying your first condo here or selling a home North of Montana, I will walk you through the pocket, the building and the numbers. Email BeRossHomes@Gmail.com or call or text (818) 424-1675.
