Santa Monica homes sold at a median price of $1,809,138 in September 2026, about $1,020 per square foot, according to Redfin. At the top of the market, ZIP 90402 at the north end of the city ran a three-month median of $4,578,019 through August 2026, about $1,410 a foot. We have been selling since 1987, with over $2 billion in sales, and we work Santa Monica from our Brentwood office on San Vicente Boulevard.
WHAT SANTA MONICA HOMES SELL FOR
Citywide, all home types, September 2026 (Redfin):
- Median sale price: $1,809,138, down 1.0% from a year earlier
- Median price per square foot: about $1,020
- Median days on market: 49, seven fewer than a year earlier
- Homes sold: 168
- Sale to list price: 100.1%
ZIP 90402, three months through August 2026 (Redfin):
- Median sale price: $4,578,019, down 12.0% from a year earlier
- Median price per square foot: about $1,410
- Median days on market: 65
- Homes sold: 44
- Sale to list price: 95.8%
The two sets of numbers tell a buyer different things. Citywide, homes are selling at about full asking price. In 90402, at the north end of the city, homes are taking longer and closing a little over 4% under asking. That is where a buyer has room to negotiate.
The homes featured on our Santa Monica guide on October 27, 2026 were priced from $14,000,000 on Palisades Avenue to $35,000,000 on Palisades Beach Road, with homes on Georgina Avenue, 21st Street and 17th Street in between.
STREETS AND POCKETS
- North of Montana. The blocks above Montana Avenue, mostly inside ZIP 90402, on numbered streets such as 17th and 21st and avenues such as Georgina and Palisades. Montana Avenue itself is a shopping street with high-end boutiques.
- Palisades Beach Road. Beach homes along this stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, where the top listing on our guide asked $35,000,000.
- Downtown. The blocks around the pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place and the pier.
- Ocean Park and Main Street. The south end of the city toward Venice, around the shops on Main Street.
- Public schools are in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, including Santa Monica High School.
TRANSFER TAXES: SANTA MONICA IS NOT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Santa Monica is its own city, so Los Angeles Measure ULA does not apply here. Santa Monica has its own transfer tax: 0.3% of the price on sales under $5 million, 0.6% from $5 million, and 5.6% of the full price on sales of $8 million or more under Measure GS, which voters approved in November 2022. The Los Angeles County tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies on top. Across the line in Brentwood or Pacific Palisades, ULA is 4% above $5.4 million and 5.5% from $10.9 million.
For a buyer at $4 million to $7 million, Santa Monica's lower bands can mean a smaller tax bill on the eventual resale than the same price in the City of Los Angeles. From $8 million up to $10.9 million, Santa Monica's 5.6% is higher than the 4% ULA band across the line. We run both numbers before you choose between a Santa Monica house and one a mile away in Brentwood.
OUR TRACK RECORD
We have been selling since 1987, with over $2 billion in sales, and RealTrends placed us in the top 1.5% in the US for 2025. A few of our sales on the Westside:
- 15205 De Pauw Street, Pacific Palisades: sold $8,850,000
- 2726 Castle Heights Place, Los Angeles: sold $6,800,000
- 231 N Kenter Avenue, Brentwood: sold $4,995,000
- 960 Indiana Avenue, Venice: sold $4,950,000
See more of our closed sales at https://teamsorrentino.com/properties/sold.
HOW WE WORK WITH SANTA MONICA BUYERS
- Price by the block. We pull closed sales on the streets you are looking at and compare them by price per square foot, not by the citywide median.
- Read the days on market. In a pocket where homes sit 60 days or more, we look at how long a listing has been up and what it has already dropped before we write a number.
- Check the house and the lot. We confirm permits and what has been built on the lot, and for older houses we look at what the lot would allow if you rebuild. Santa Monica runs its own building and planning department, separate from the City of Los Angeles.
- Run the tax math. Santa Monica's transfer tax bands against ULA across the line, so you know the cost on the way in and on the way out.
- Negotiate. We write offers with the closed sales behind the number.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the median home price in Santa Monica?
$1,809,138 in September 2026 across all home types, according to Redfin, down 1.0% from a year earlier. The median was about $1,020 per square foot.
What do homes sell for north of Montana?
In ZIP 90402, which covers most of North of Montana, the three-month median sale price through August 2026 was $4,578,019, about $1,410 per square foot, according to Redfin.
How fast do Santa Monica homes sell?
The citywide median was 49 days on market in September 2026. In ZIP 90402 it was 65 days for the three months through August 2026.
Does Measure ULA apply in Santa Monica?
No. ULA applies only inside the City of Los Angeles. Santa Monica has its own transfer tax, including 5.6% of the full price on sales of $8 million or more under Measure GS.
Who can help me buy a home in Santa Monica?
Team Sorrentino of Rodeo Realty. We have been selling since 1987, with over $2 billion in sales. Call Jonny Sorrentino at 310.721.0534.
Looking at homes in Santa Monica? Call Jonny Sorrentino at 310.721.0534 for closed sales on the blocks you like and the tax math on any address.
Team Sorrentino, Rodeo Realty. Lisa Sorrentino CA DRE 00974656. Scott Sorrentino CA DRE 00973692. Jonny Sorrentino CA DRE 02086025. Rodeo Realty CA DRE 00951359.
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