Santa Cruz neighborhoods compared by home value
Zillow does not publish neighborhood-level values for Santa Cruz, so the first table uses ZIP codes and the nearby towns people usually weigh against the city. All values are Zillow's typical home value for September 2026.
| Area | Zillow typical value | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|
| 95060: west side, downtown, beach area | $1,372,773 | +6.3% |
| 95065: northeast hills around DeLaveaga | $1,332,909 | +4.8% |
| 95062: east side, Seabright toward Live Oak | $1,311,215 | +5.6% |
| 95064: UC Santa Cruz campus | $680,890 | +10.0% |
| City of Santa Cruz overall | $1,338,649 | +5.8% |
| Soquel | $1,356,238 | +7.0% |
| Scotts Valley | $1,233,968 | +2.7% |
| Capitola | $1,228,511 | +7.5% |
For smaller places right at the city's edge, Redfin publishes rolling three-month sale medians. These are a different measure from Zillow's values, and the samples are small, so read them as a rough ranking only.
| Place (unincorporated unless noted) | Redfin median sale price, 3 months to Sept 2026 | Sales | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasure Point | $3,048,548 | 7 | 43 |
| Pasatiempo | $2,823,655 | 3 | 10 |
| Twin Lakes | $1,799,143 | 15 | 16 |
| City of Santa Cruz | $1,350,357 | 77 | 17 |
| Bonny Doon | $1,136,959 | 6 | 51 |
Downtown, beach and river neighborhoods
Downtown Santa Cruz and Pacific Avenue (95060)
Downtown is where nearly all of the city's new housing is going. RiverRow, 175 apartments in three buildings at 414 Front Street, opened in March 2026 with roof decks over the San Lorenzo River and nine retail spaces. The Downtown Library and Affordable Housing project is under construction with 124 affordable homes over a new library and a 240-space garage, and Pacific Station North, which includes a METRO bus hub, is also under construction. The city's 95060 ZIP, which covers downtown, had a median household income of $108,591 and a median rent of $2,454 in the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey, with 51.5% of homes owner-occupied. The city approved 130 Center Street, a six-story building with 233 single-room occupancy units. Expect apartments and condos rather than houses, with Pacific Avenue shops and the bus hub a short walk away. Ask any condo HOA about reserves and the balcony inspection required under SB 326; see our balcony inspection law guide.
Beach Flats and the Main Beach area (95060)
The flat blocks behind the Boardwalk sit closest to Main Beach at 108 Beach Street, with its 18 volleyball courts and lifeguards, and Cowell Beach beside the wharf. Beach Flats Park at 133 Leibrandt Avenue has a playground, murals and a stage, next to Poets Park. This is low-lying ground near the river mouth and the shore, so check the tsunami hazard map and flood zone for any address, and expect summer weekend crowds.
Harvey West and Pogonip (95060)
North of downtown, Harvey West Park at 326 Evergreen Street has the city pool, ball fields, a bike pump track, bocce courts and trails. Pogonip open space rises behind it, and the city points to its views. The draw for nearby streets is trail access a short ride from downtown. Harvey West Park requires dogs to be leashed, and some activities need permits; Parks and Recreation is at (831) 420-5030.
West side Santa Cruz neighborhoods
West Cliff Drive and the Lighthouse area (95060)
Homes along and just inland of West Cliff Drive sit closest to the city's best-known stretch of coast. Lighthouse Field State Beach overlooks the Steamer Lane surf break, with the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse and monarch butterflies in winter. Mitchell's Cove is a city beach off West Cliff. Redfin's three-month median for single-family houses across 95060 was $1,680,826. Before buying a bluff-top lot, ask the city's planning department whether the work you have in mind needs a coastal permit or a geologic report.
Westside near Natural Bridges (95060)
The western end of the city runs to Natural Bridges State Beach, known for its sea arch, tide pools and the Monarch Grove, where about 10,000 butterflies overwintered in 2024. Garfield Park at 634 Almar Avenue gives the inland streets a playground, basketball court and field. Monarchs typically arrive in mid-October and leave by mid-February, so check visitor parking on the street if you are looking at a house without a driveway.
Upper Westside and UC Santa Cruz (95060 and 95064)
The neighborhoods below the campus are shaped by its 19,173 students. 95064 is the campus ZIP, with very few private homes, which is why Zillow's typical value there, $680,890, is so far below the rest of the city. If you buy on the streets below campus, ask how many nearby houses are rentals, check whether any extra unit on the lot is permitted, and confirm parking rules on the street. For campus-adjacent rental demand, compare with Zillow's citywide observed rent of $3,418. UCSC students ride Santa Cruz METRO free on routes within the county, so bus access matters to tenants on these streets.
East side Santa Cruz neighborhoods
Seabright and the harbor (95060 and 95062)
Seabright is on the east side along East Cliff Drive. The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History sits at 1305 East Cliff Drive, where the city is reviewing plans to restore the Carnegie library building. Twin Lakes State Beach runs a mile from here toward Live Oak, with the small craft harbor in the middle. Coastal blocks fall in tsunami planning areas, so look up the address before you write an offer.
Arana Gulch and Frederick Street (95062)
Arana Gulch is a city open space between the small craft harbor and Frederick Street. On Frederick Street, a 19-townhouse project at 528 Frederick Street is before the Planning Commission on November 5, 2026, and needs coastal, watercourse and heritage tree permits. If you are buying nearby, read the city's project page for the hearing outcome, since new homes would change traffic and views on the street.
Eastside and DeLaveaga (95065)
The northeast hills hold DeLaveaga Park at 855 Branciforte Drive, with a golf course, archery range, disc golf, picnic areas and trails. Homes here are mostly detached houses on larger hillside lots, and the ZIP has the city's highest owner-occupancy rate: 71.7% of homes, by the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey. Median household income in 95065 was $153,222. Redfin's three-month median for houses was $1,456,383 on 10 sales. Wooded lots near the park need a fire hazard zone check before you insure. Santa Cruz City Schools lists Branciforte Middle and DeLaveaga Elementary among its schools; use the district's school locator to confirm which school serves a specific address, since boundaries do not follow ZIP lines.
East side flats toward Live Oak (95062)
The flatter streets of 95062 toward the city line hold a mix of houses, duplexes, townhouses and condos. Redfin's three-month median sale price was $1,397,589, down 14.0% on a weaker mix of sales, while Zillow's typical value rose 5.6%. Houses sold at a median of $1,524,615 and condos at $631,981. The Census survey puts median income at $112,106 and median rent at $2,427. See the 95062 data page for monthly history.
Neighborhoods just outside the city
Live Oak (unincorporated)
Live Oak is an unincorporated census-designated place between the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola. It covered 3.242 square miles and had 17,038 residents in the 2020 census; with Twin Lakes and Pleasure Point the wider area counted 27,921. Plans to join the city never happened, so Live Oak is governed by the county, which handles its planning and permits. In the county's 2026-27 tax rate book, Live Oak's tax rate area 82-003 carries a total rate of 1.101988%, against 1.128718% for the city's tax rate area 01-003, a difference of about $270 a year per $1 million of assessed value. Check the exact tax rate area on the bill. Our Santa Cruz County property tax guide compares rates.
Twin Lakes (unincorporated)
Twin Lakes takes in the blocks behind Twin Lakes State Beach, which runs a mile with the small craft harbor near its middle. Its name comes from two lakes, the western one of which became the Santa Cruz Harbor. Redfin's three-month median was $1,799,143 on 15 sales, with a median of 16 days on market, faster than most of the county.
Pleasure Point (unincorporated)
Pleasure Point is part of Live Oak, though it grew out of El Rancho Arroyo del Rodeo rather than the land grant behind the rest of the area. Redfin's three-month median of $3,048,548 on only 7 sales is the highest of any place in the county. Values on inland streets are far lower than that median suggests, so ask for street-level comparable sales.
Pasatiempo (unincorporated, 95060)
Pasatiempo is a census-designated place along Highway 17 between Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, built around the Alister MacKenzie-designed Pasatiempo Golf Club, which opened in September 1929. It had 1,093 residents in 2020 and 89.1% of its homes were owner-occupied. Redfin's median of $2,823,655 rests on just 3 sales. Expect large wooded lots, and check fire hazard zone and insurance first.
Capitola, Soquel and Scotts Valley, next door
Many buyers who start in Santa Cruz also look at the three neighbors. Zillow's September 2026 typical values were $1,228,511 in Capitola, up 7.5%, $1,356,238 in Soquel, up 7.0%, and $1,233,968 in Scotts Valley, up 2.7%. On Redfin's separate three-month sale data, Capitola homes sold in a median of 30 days, Soquel in 15 and Scotts Valley in 42, against 17 in the city. Capitola and Scotts Valley are their own cities with their own planning departments; Soquel is unincorporated county land. In Soquel, the Dwellings of Soquel on Darlington Lane is one of the few new townhome communities near the city.
Inside the city, locals divide Santa Cruz into a west side and an east side at the San Lorenzo River. That split still shapes how listings are described, so search both terms when you set up alerts.
Santa Cruz neighborhoods by what you are looking for
Walkability: Downtown and the Beach area
Downtown and the flats near Main Beach put shops, the wharf, the river levee path and the METRO transit center within walking distance. 9.0% of city workers walk to work, more than double the county share.
Beach access: West Cliff, Seabright and Pleasure Point
West Cliff Drive, Seabright along East Cliff Drive and Pleasure Point outside the city sit closest to the water. All three carry coastal permit rules and tsunami planning zones, and Pleasure Point has the county's highest Redfin median. Our Santa Cruz waterfront homes page covers bluff and flood checks.
Larger lots and trails: DeLaveaga and Pasatiempo
The northeast hills around DeLaveaga Park and Pasatiempo offer bigger lots and direct trail access. Both are wooded, so wildfire zone, defensible space and insurance quotes come first; see our wildfire zones guide.
Lower entry price: condos and townhouses on both sides of the river
The cheapest way to own in the city is an attached home. Redfin's three-month medians were $770,977 for condos in 95060 and $631,981 in 95062, against houses at $1,680,826 and $1,524,615. See our Santa Cruz condos page.
Newer homes: downtown, or outside the city
The city has very little new for-sale housing. New buildings are concentrated downtown and are mostly rentals. For new houses and townhomes for sale, buyers look to Aptos Village and Soquel. Our new homes in Santa Cruz page lists them.
Most value gained in the year: 95060 and 95064
In Zillow's data, 95064 rose 10.0% and 95060 rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026, ahead of 95062 at 5.6% and 95065 at 4.8%. Outside the city, Capitola gained 7.5% and Soquel 7.0%.
What to check in any Santa Cruz neighborhood
- Which jurisdiction: city addresses use city planning and utilities; Live Oak, Twin Lakes, Pleasure Point and Pasatiempo are county land.
- Tsunami and flood: look up coastal and river-side addresses on the state tsunami hazard map and the FEMA flood map.
- Fire hazard zone: check wooded hillside lots before you insure.
- Permit parking: the city sells residential permits at 124 Locust Street; ask if the street is in a zone.
- Rentals next door: near campus, ask how many nearby houses are rented by the room.
- Schools: use the Santa Cruz City Schools school locator for any address and the California School Dashboard; see Santa Cruz schools.
- Crime: see official figures on our Santa Cruz crime rates page.
For live sale data, see the Santa Cruz housing market report and Santa Cruz ZIP codes.