Los Angeles County · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · population 90,729
Where Santa Monica stands
Population shrinking 0.6% per year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 39.6 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Santa Monica for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Santa Monica has held up across the cycle: home values at $1,711,898 with +0.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Santa Monica's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.
About Santa Monica
Santa Monica is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with an estimated population of 90,729. It anchors the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Santa Monica is $1,711,898 as of 2026-04, down 0.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +0.7% annual growth (-8.5% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Santa Monica average $3,606 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.2%). The composite momentum score is 45 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Santa Monica (Wikipedia)
Santa Monica is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. As of the 2020 census, Santa Monica had a population of 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to its climate, beaches, and hospitality industry. It has a diverse economy, hosting headquarters of companies such as Skydance Media, Hulu, Activision Blizzard, Universal Music Group, Starz Entertainment, Lionsgate Studios, Illumination and The Recording Academy.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Playbook
You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.
Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.
Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Los Angeles County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Los Angeles County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Santa Monica
9 tracked · ranked by median home valueCities like Santa Monica
Run the numbers for Santa Monica
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Santa Monica listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- Santa Monica Pier area among the dirtiest beaches again in new Beach Report CardLos Angeles Times · 9h ago
- Santa Monica Pier area again ranks among California's most polluted beaches, report says Heal the Bay report card saysABC7 Los Angeles · 7h ago
- Kidnapper Arrested After Police Chase, Gunfire: Santa Monica PDPatch · 1d ago
- 811 18th St Apt C, Santa Monica, CA 90403Realtor.com · 16h ago
- Debate over the Santa Monica Airport's fate continuesSpectrum News · 14h ago
- Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride hits Santa MonicaNew York Post · 3d ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Santa Monica
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.