Is Torrance a good place to live? The short answer
For many buyers and renters, Torrance is a strong middle option in the South Bay: closer to beach-city prices than inland Los Angeles, but well below them. Four numbers frame it:
- $1,100,115: Zillow's typical home value in September 2026, against $1,473,478 in Redondo Beach and $863,012 in Hawthorne.
- $3,006 a month: Zillow's typical rent, up 3.5% in a year.
- 97.0%: Torrance Unified's graduation rate on the 2025 California School Dashboard, against 87.8% statewide.
- 26.9 minutes: the mean commute for Torrance workers (Census, 2020-2024), with 20.8% working from home.
The trade-offs are price relative to income, an older housing stock, heavy reliance on the car and rising property crime counts since 2019. Each is covered below with the official figures, so you can weigh them yourself.
Pros of living in Torrance
Pro: Torrance Beach and the coast
The city has 1.5 miles of lifeguard-patrolled beach with public parking and a bathhouse, according to the City of Torrance. Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors describes Torrance Beach as 40 acres of sand below the bluffs between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove, with more than 300 parking spaces, restrooms, showers, a concession stand, volleyball nets and the bike path.
Pro: lower prices than the beach cities next door
Zillow's typical Torrance home value of $1,100,115 is about $373,000 below Redondo Beach, $619,000 below El Segundo and $1.17 million below Hermosa Beach (September 2026). Torrance also has its own stretch of coast, so a buyer can stay near the ocean for less than in the beach cities.
Pro: Torrance Unified test results
On the 2025 California School Dashboard, Torrance Unified scored 43.1 points above standard in English and 26.0 above in math, both Green, against state averages below standard. All four comprehensive high schools were Blue for graduation. Results vary by school; see our Torrance schools guide.
Pro: parks, a marsh preserve and recreation
The city lists 33 parks and one public beach, and 46 recreation facilities in all. Columbia Park, at 52 acres, is the largest. The Madrona Marsh Preserve on Plaza Del Amo is one of the last vernal wetlands in Southern California, managed by the city with the Friends of Madrona Marsh, and admission is free. Wilson Park has a summer splash pad.
Pro: a mild, dry climate
The city describes the climate as mild, with warm temperatures, cool sea breezes and low humidity, and about 12.5 inches of rain a year.
Pro: city services of its own
Torrance runs its own fire and police departments, water utility, airport, transit system and six public libraries. The city reports a Class 1 fire department rating, 159 sworn firefighters across six stations, and 241 sworn police officers. It also collects trash for about 29,500 homes.
Pro: settled neighborhoods
About 90% of residents lived in the same home a year earlier, and 55% of occupied homes are owner-occupied (Census, 2020-2024). Low turnover means established streets and fewer homes for sale, which also keeps competition up when a good house lists.
Pro: local events and culture
The city runs a Cherry Blossom Festival, Movies in the Park and the Turkey Trot, a farmers market supplied by 60 California farms, the Torrance Art Museum and the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. The Sea-Aire par-3 golf course sits in the Seaside Ranchos neighborhood of South Torrance.
Cons of living in Torrance
Con: home prices well above incomes
Zillow's typical home value is about 9.5 times the median household income of $116,217. Buying at the typical value with 20% down at 7.24% costs about $7,008 a month in principal, interest and property tax, which needs roughly double the median income by the usual lending ratios. Details are on our Torrance cost of living page.
Con: rents keep rising
Zillow's typical rent of $3,006 in September 2026 was a record for the series, up 3.5% in a year and 50.8% in ten years. A household on the median income spends about 31% of gross pay on that rent.
Con: older houses need work
The median Torrance home was built in 1964 (Census, 2020-2024). Expect to budget for electrical panels, plumbing, sewer laterals, windows and roofs, and read inspection reports closely. Updated houses sell at a premium, which is part of why medians vary so much street to street.
Con: you will probably need a car
69.7% of Torrance workers drive alone to work and only 0.9% use public transit (Census, 2020-2024). Torrance Transit and the on-demand Connect Torrance service cover trips inside the city, but most errands and commutes are by car.
Con: rising property crime counts
California DOJ figures show the Torrance Police Department recorded 3,800 property crimes and 426 violent crimes in 2024, up from 2,853 and 280 in 2019. Per 1,000 residents, using the Census population of 142,130, that is about 26.7 property and 3.0 violent crimes. These are agency totals for the whole city, not a measure of any one street. Our Torrance crime data page explains how to check an address.
Con: airport and industrial neighbors
Torrance Municipal Airport-Zamperini Field has about 543 based aircraft and is the headquarters of Robinson Helicopter Company, according to the city, which runs an airport noise concern form. Freight rail lines run through the city. Visit a home at different times of day and read the Natural Hazard Disclosure and any environmental reports.
Con: a higher sales tax than some neighbors
The sales tax in Torrance is 10.75% from October 1, 2026, half a point above Redondo Beach and the City of Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. City trash rates also rise each July through 2027.
What living in Torrance is like
Torrance weather through the year
The city reports about 12.5 inches of rain a year and describes cool sea breezes and low humidity. Rainfall is about the only weather cost most owners plan for: clear gutters and check drainage before the wet months, and ask about roof age when you buy.
Getting around Torrance
The mean commute is 26.9 minutes. Torrance Transit runs city bus routes and publishes maps and schedules, Connect Torrance offers low-cost shared rides booked by app or phone, and buses 225 and 226 stop near Torrance Beach at Palos Verdes Boulevard and Calle Miramar. The city also publishes e-bike rules and classes.
Things to do in Torrance
Beyond the beach and the marsh, the city has 33 parks, six libraries, the Torrance Art Museum, a theater company, a civic chorale and a year-round farmers market. Torrance was founded in 1912 as a planned community designed with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., and its oil boom began with the first well in 1921, according to Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors.
Streets, gardens and walks in Torrance
The city reports 550 miles of sidewalks and about 90,000 street trees. Residents can apply for a plot in the community gardens at Columbia Park or Lago Seco Park, and the Madrona Marsh Nature Center runs free bird walks, night walks and habitat restoration days. Henrietta Basin, a storm-water basin on Henrietta Street, doubles as wildlife habitat with trails for observers. For a city of more than 140,000 people, that adds up to a lot of everyday outdoor space within a short drive or walk of most homes, though how close depends on the street.
Salary needed to live in Torrance
The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates what a household needs before tax to cover basic needs at Los Angeles County prices:
| Household (MIT, Los Angeles County) | Income needed before tax |
|---|---|
| One adult | $60,161 |
| One adult, two children | $136,471 |
| Two adults, both working, no children | $79,296 |
| Two adults, both working, three children | $176,839 |
MIT puts housing for one adult at $22,471 a year, about $1,873 a month, well under Zillow's $3,006 typical rent for Torrance. Those figures assume county rents. Using Torrance's numbers instead, our estimate is about $120,000 a year to rent the typical home at 30% of income and about $234,000 to buy it with 20% down.
Who is moving to Torrance
Torrance had 142,130 residents in the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates; the city reports 143,363. Moves into the city are mostly local:
| Where residents lived a year earlier (Census, 2020-2024) | Share of residents |
|---|---|
| Same home | 90.0% |
| Elsewhere in Los Angeles County | 7.4% |
| Another California county | 1.1% |
| Another state | 0.7% |
| Abroad | 0.9% |
Most newcomers already lived in Los Angeles County: local moves outnumber moves from other California counties by about seven to one. Buyers relocating from farther away can start with our California housing market guide.
Retiring in Torrance
About 18.8% of Torrance residents are 65 or older, and the median age is 43.2 (Census, 2020-2024). The city has a Commission on Aging, a senior taxi fare program and transport options for seniors and riders with disabilities. Seniors on low incomes can apply for reduced trash rates ($15.08 a month from July 2026) and a water bill discount. Owners 55 and over who sell elsewhere in California may be able to bring their tax base under Prop 19; see our Prop 19 guide and our statewide best places to retire in California ranking.
Where to live in Torrance
Zillow's typical value by ZIP gives a quick map of prices (September 2026):
| ZIP | Zillow typical home value | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|
| 90505 | $1,409,942 | +3.4% |
| 90503 | $1,275,500 | +2.3% |
| 90504 | $986,228 | +2.6% |
| 90501 | $972,418 | +0.1% |
| 90502 | $725,824 | -0.2% |
Housing types in Torrance
The Census Bureau counts 59,284 homes in Torrance (2020-2024): 53.4% detached houses, 6.4% single-family attached homes such as townhouses, 6.3% in buildings of two to four units, 32.0% in buildings of five or more units and 1.8% mobile homes. That mix means a buyer can find a condo, townhouse, small multi-unit building or detached house within the same city.
Torrance ZIPs compared
90505 holds Zillow's highest-valued neighborhoods, such as Seaside at $1,506,819; 90503 has the most sales and the most condos and townhouses; 90502 is the most affordable. Our Torrance neighborhoods guide and ZIP code guide go street by street.
Should you move to Torrance? A checklist
- Price the payment: get pre-approved and run the numbers at today's rate, not last year's.
- Pick two or three ZIPs and visit each on a weekday evening and a weekend morning.
- Drive your commute at rush hour from each one.
- Check the schools that serve each address on the district locator; do not rely on the listing.
- Look up crime data, flood maps and the Natural Hazard Disclosure for the specific home.
- Get insurance quotes early, especially for older houses.
- Compare with Redondo Beach, Hawthorne and Long Beach on price and commute.
When you are ready to look at homes, start with our Torrance homes for sale guide.