How we chose and ranked California's beach towns
We included every place this site tracks that has its own ocean or bay beach inside its limits: 16 cities and one San Diego neighborhood, La Jolla. Inland cities near the coast, such as Irvine or Torrance's inland areas, are left out, and so are neighborhoods inside these cities except where noted.
The biggest difference between California beach towns is price, so the ranking runs from the lowest Zillow typical home value to the highest, all for September 2026. Read it as "where your budget starts", not as a quality score. Each profile then covers the beach itself, the harbor or pier, and how the town gets you to work. For comparison, Zillow's typical value for California as a whole was $761,538. Every beach town in this list costs more.
The best beach towns in California, from lowest to highest price
Zillow typical home value and observed rent, September 2026. One-year and 10-year figures are changes in the typical value.
| Rank | Beach town | County | Typical home value | 1 year | 10 years | Typical rent | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Beach | Los Angeles | $852,391 | +2.4% | +84.3% | $2,412 | Belmont Shore and Alamitos Bay |
| 2 | Oceanside | San Diego | $865,182 | +1.6% | +90.6% | $2,910 | 1,942-foot wooden pier |
| 3 | Ventura | Ventura | $885,887 | +1.4% | +63.4% | $2,898 | Ventura Pier and Surfers Point |
| 4 | Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | $1,338,649 | +5.8% | +64.1% | $3,418 | Boardwalk and Steamer Lane |
| 5 | Huntington Beach | Orange | $1,344,725 | +5.6% | +101.8% | $3,105 | 9.5 miles of sand |
| 6 | Redondo Beach | Los Angeles | $1,473,478 | +2.4% | +80.2% | $3,483 | Municipal Pier and King Harbor |
| 7 | Carlsbad | San Diego | $1,564,213 | -18.6% | +75.5% | $3,531 | Bluff-backed sand and three lagoons |
| 8 | Sausalito | Marin | $1,589,416 | +3.9% | +27.1% | $3,984 | Small bay beaches and a ferry to San Francisco |
| 9 | El Segundo | Los Angeles | $1,719,205 | +3.9% | +95.6% | $3,253 | Rebuilt beach on the bike trail |
| 10 | Dana Point | Orange | $1,773,166 | +6.8% | +120.9% | $4,323 | Harbor and Doheny State Beach |
| 11 | Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | $1,805,649 | +4.9% | +78.9% | $3,642 | Stearns Wharf and East Beach |
| 12 | Encinitas | San Diego | $1,921,194 | +5.9% | +106.8% | $4,340 | Swami's and Moonlight State Beach |
| 13 | Hermosa Beach | Los Angeles | $2,272,277 | +5.5% | +84.5% | $3,970 | Pier Avenue and beach volleyball |
| 14 | La Jolla | San Diego | $2,426,826 | +5.7% | +98.1% | not published | 7 miles of coast and La Jolla Shores |
| 15 | Laguna Beach | Orange | $3,043,251 | +6.8% | +99.2% | $5,519 | 27 beaches and coves |
| 16 | Manhattan Beach | Los Angeles | $3,353,430 | +9.4% | +95.0% | $6,406 | 2.1-mile beach and The Strand |
| 17 | Newport Beach | Orange | $3,710,827 | +10.1% | +129.8% | $4,364 | Harbor of about 9,000 boats |
Only three towns are under $1 million: Long Beach, Oceanside and Ventura. Santa Cruz and Huntington Beach come next at about $1.34 million each. Above $3 million, Laguna Beach, Manhattan Beach and Newport Beach are among the most expensive coastal cities in the country.
Each beach town, profiled
1. Long Beach: $852,391 typical value
Long Beach is a port city first, with the second-busiest container port in the country, but its southeast corner is a beach town. Belmont Shore and Naples sit on the city's southeast shore. The average temperature is 64.9°F. See the Belmont Shore guide, where values run well above the city figure.
Zillow, September 2026: $852,391, +2.4% over one year and +84.3% over 10 years. Typical rent was $2,412.
2. Oceanside: $865,182 typical value
The Oceanside Pier, first built in 1888 and now in its sixth version, runs 1,942 feet, one of the longest wooden piers on the West Coast. The harbor holds hundreds of boats, and the California Surf Museum is downtown. Pacific Surfliner trains stop in the city. It is the lowest-priced beach city in San Diego County in this list. See the Oceanside condos guide for the lowest-cost way in.
Zillow, September 2026: $865,182, +1.6% over one year and +90.6% over 10 years. Typical rent was $2,910.
3. Ventura: $885,887 typical value
Ventura Pier was first built in 1872 and rebuilt after a 1995 storm. The city maintains two beach stretches, from the pier to Surfers Point and from Marina Park to Camden Lane, and boats to Channel Islands National Park leave from Ventura Harbor. Read is Ventura a good place to live.
Zillow, September 2026: $885,887, +1.4% over one year and +63.4% over 10 years. Typical rent was $2,898.
4. Santa Cruz: $1,338,649 typical value
Santa Cruz sits on the north edge of Monterey Bay, a national marine sanctuary. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk opened in 1904, and the O'Neill Cold Water Classic surf contest runs at Steamer Lane. It is the only Northern California beach city in this list with a full ocean shoreline. Read the Santa Cruz waterfront homes guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,338,649, +5.8% over one year and +64.1% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,418.
5. Huntington Beach: $1,344,725 typical value
Huntington Beach has 9.5 miles of sandy beach and the nickname Surf City, with Bolsa Chica State Beach at the north end and Huntington State Beach at the south. Its pier dates from 1904. It is the largest beach city in Orange County. See the Huntington Beach neighborhoods guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,344,725, +5.6% over one year and +101.8% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,105.
6. Redondo Beach: $1,473,478 typical value
Redondo Beach's Municipal Pier and sandy beach anchor the waterfront, next to King Harbor marina. George Freeth gave surfing exhibitions here in 1907. The K Line has a Redondo Beach station. Compare neighborhoods in the Redondo Beach neighborhoods guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,473,478, +2.4% over one year and +80.2% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,483.
7. Carlsbad: $1,564,213 typical value
Carlsbad has wide sand beaches below ocean cliffs, and most of its water area is in three lagoons. Legoland California is inland. Zillow's index shows an 18.6% one-year fall in Carlsbad, which no neighboring city shows, so confirm prices with recent sales before relying on that figure. See the Carlsbad housing market.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,564,213, -18.6% over one year and +75.5% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,531.
8. Sausalito: $1,589,416 typical value
Sausalito faces Richardson Bay, about 4 miles north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. Its public beaches, Schoonmaker, Swede's and Tiffany, are small bay beaches rather than surf beaches, and passenger ferries run to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Three houseboat communities remain on the waterfront. See is Sausalito a good place to live.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,589,416, +3.9% over one year and +27.1% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,984.
9. El Segundo: $1,719,205 typical value
El Segundo's beach was once lined with refinery wharves. The wharves were removed, and dredged sand rebuilt and widened the beach, which the Marvin Braude Bike Trail now runs along. A Chevron refinery still takes up more than a quarter of the city. Read is El Segundo a good place to live.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,719,205, +3.9% over one year and +95.6% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,253.
10. Dana Point: $1,773,166 typical value
Dana Point Harbor, dedicated in 1971, has a marina and the Catalina Express to Avalon. Doheny State Beach began as a 41.4-acre gift to the state in 1931. The harbor makes it one of the few Orange County cities with a working marina. See the Dana Point condos guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,773,166, +6.8% over one year and +120.9% over 10 years. Typical rent was $4,323.
11. Santa Barbara: $1,805,649 typical value
Santa Barbara's waterfront runs along Cabrillo Boulevard from Stearns Wharf, built in 1872, to the harbor and breakwater. City beaches include East Beach, Leadbetter and Hendry's (Arroyo Burro). Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight both stop here. See the Santa Barbara neighborhoods guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,805,649, +4.9% over one year and +78.9% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,642.
12. Encinitas: $1,921,194 typical value
Encinitas strings together Leucadia, old Encinitas and Cardiff-by-the-Sea along Coast Highway 101. Swami's is one of the best-known surf breaks in the state, and Moonlight State Beach hosts the Switchfoot Bro-Am each summer. Read the Encinitas neighborhoods guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $1,921,194, +5.9% over one year and +106.8% over 10 years. Typical rent was $4,340.
13. Hermosa Beach: $2,272,277 typical value
Hermosa Beach sits between Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. Its 1,000-foot concrete pier is at the end of Pier Avenue, the main shopping and dining street, and the beach is used for volleyball, surfing, paddleboarding and cycling. See is Hermosa Beach a good place to live.
Zillow, September 2026: $2,272,277, +5.5% over one year and +84.5% over 10 years. Typical rent was $3,970.
14. La Jolla: $2,426,826 typical value
La Jolla is a neighborhood of the city of San Diego with 7 miles of coastline. La Jolla Shores sits next to Scripps Pier, sea lions and harbor seals haul out on the rocks, and Black's Beach is a well-known surf spot. Zillow does not publish a rent index for La Jolla. See our La Jolla guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $2,426,826, +5.7% over one year and +98.1% over 10 years.
15. Laguna Beach: $3,043,251 typical value
Laguna Beach has 7 miles of coastline with 27 beaches and coves, and 5.88 miles of it is a state marine reserve. The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters run each summer, and the Brooks Street Surfing Classic dates from 1955. See the Laguna Beach neighborhoods guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $3,043,251, +6.8% over one year and +99.2% over 10 years. Typical rent was $5,519.
16. Manhattan Beach: $3,353,430 typical value
Manhattan Beach's beach is about 2.1 miles long and 400 feet wide, and it hosts the Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament each August. Homes along The Strand are among the most expensive per square foot in the country. Typical rent here is the highest in this list. Read the Manhattan Beach cost of living guide.
Zillow, September 2026: $3,353,430, +9.4% over one year and +95.0% over 10 years. Typical rent was $6,406.
17. Newport Beach: $3,710,827 typical value
Newport Harbor holds about 9,000 boats, one of the largest recreational harbors in the country, and private homes cover its islands, from Balboa Island to Lido Isle. Corona del Mar, inside the city, adds two state beaches. Newport Beach gained the most of any city here over 10 years. See the Corona del Mar guide and Newport Beach neighborhoods.
Zillow, September 2026: $3,710,827, +10.1% over one year and +129.8% over 10 years. Typical rent was $4,364.
Beach water quality: how to check a town's beaches
Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card
Heal the Bay, a nonprofit, grades California beaches on bacteria levels from water monitoring. Its 2025-26 report, released on May 20, 2026, gave 21 beaches statewide an A+ in every season and weather condition, down from 62 the year before. Look up the beaches near any home on its site before you buy.
Beaches with the poorest summer water
The same report's "Beach Bummer" list was led by Playa Blanca near Tijuana, then the Santa Monica Pier, then six San Mateo County beaches, Tijuana Slough in San Diego County and Clam Beach in Humboldt County. None of the 17 towns in this guide was on that list, but beaches next to piers, harbors and creek mouths often score lower after rain.
What it costs to own near the beach in California
Coastal development permits
Most of these homes are in the coastal zone. There, "development" includes not only building but changes in the intensity of use, and it generally needs a coastal development permit first. Cities with a certified Local Coastal Program issue those permits; elsewhere you apply to the California Coastal Commission. Ask the city early if you plan to add a room, an ADU or a seawall.
Flood maps and coastal erosion
Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Lenders require flood insurance in high-risk zones, and bluff-top homes in places like Encinitas and Carlsbad can face erosion rules that limit new construction. Ask for any geological reports in the seller's disclosures; our seller disclosure guide lists what you should receive.
Insurance and earthquake cover
Coastal homes often have lower wildfire exposure than the foothills, but canyon edges in Laguna Beach and Montecito are an exception. Earthquake cover is separate from a standard policy. See our homeowners insurance guide and earthquake insurance guide.
Condos as the lower-cost way in
In most beach towns a condo is the cheapest way to own near the sand. Older buildings with balconies fall under California's balcony inspection laws; see the balcony inspection guide and HOA laws guide before you commit.