Santa Monica

Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a small city with a big personality. After all, it is home to the world-famous Santa Monica Pier, which features the iconic Pacific Wheel. This boardwalk is also chock-full of fun activities, making it one of Southern California’s premier entertainment destinations.

It’s also colloquially called Silicon Beach because several tech startups are headquartered in this city, giving it a robust job market. Santa Monica is a progressive city, too, as its public buses run on green energy.

The lavish mansions and high-end shopping centers, meanwhile, remind you that you’re in one of California’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Yet for its entertainment-focused and affluent vibe, Santa Monica offers a decidedly slower pace of living compared to Los Angeles. That’s why Niche.com gives it an A+ rating and calls it the number one suburb in the state.

History of Santa Monica

Santa Monica was founded in 1875 by the mining magnate Senator Jones and was officially incorporated as a city in 1886.

The Southern Pacific Railroad was supposed to pass through the city, but it would ultimately be bypassed. As luck would have it, seaside amusement parks were popular in the 1900s so local officials decided to convert the city into a boardwalk instead. Before long, luxury resorts like Miramar Hotel would be built in Santa Monica, thereby attracting A-list residents like Cary Grant and Greta Garbo.

Today, Santa Monica is a thriving city that offers a tranquil, peaceful vibe that’s befitting of a world-class seaside community.

Real Estate in Santa Monica

Santa Monica has eight distinct neighborhoods, namely: Downtown, Main Street, Mid-City, Montana Avenue, Ocean Park Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica Pier Area, and Wilshire Boulevard.

As you might expect, property prices in Santa Monica command a premium. According to data from Realtor.com, the typical home in this city lists for around $1.8 million. For this price, you will get a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that measures over 1,900 square feet.

There are various property types to choose from, depending on your life stage. Young families might want to buy a starter home in the form of a condo or townhome. Growing broods, meanwhile, should consider a single-family home. If you want to live the high life, a palatial luxury home should be a good match for you.

Living in Santa Monica

While the Santa Monica Pier is the city’s primary attraction, there’s a wealth of other fun activities to enjoy here, too.

If you want to cool off, take a dip in Santa Monica Beach or Will Rogers State Beach. For those looking to have a family-friendly time, the city has no less than 32 public parks; this includes Ocean View Park, which features tennis courts, picnic grounds, and a basketball court all overlooking the sea.

Santa Monica is also something of a shopper’s haven, thanks to its high-end shopping destinations. Third Street Promenade, for example, is an open-air mall that boasts over 80 merchants. Mid-City, meanwhile, is home to many trendy vintage stores and art galleries.

If you’d like to be part of this cool but cosmopolitan city, be sure to work with a trusted agent like me, Nicole Costas. You can reach me by phone at 323.630.6976 or via email at nicole(at)nicolecostas(dotted)com.

Click on the image below for more information on the market. This data is updated weekly and you can see it when you click on the chart below.

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(all data current as of 3/21/2025)

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.