If you've been researching the Santa Monica real estate market online and found numbers that seem wildly inconsistent, you are not imagining it.
Houzeo currently shows a Santa Monica median sale price of $1,564,500 with homes selling at 98.12% of asking in 52 days.
The live TheMLS data for Santa Monica single-family homes, pulled on June 16, 2026 at 8:40 AM, shows:
Median sold price: $3,850,000. Sold vs. list price: 100.08%. Median days on market: 14 days.
That is a $2,285,500 gap in median price between a major platform and the actual transaction data for single-family homes in this city right now.
This is the most dramatic platform-vs.-reality gap in the entire southwest LA and Westside corridor, and it is the direct result of every major platform blending all property types across all zip codes in all time windows. When you average a $415,000 condo sale with an $11,213,000 estate sale and call it the Santa Monica market, you get a number that is accurate for neither buyer.
I'm Danielle Edney, a third-generation Angeleno and Los Angeles real estate specialist serving Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Culver City, Playa Vista, Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, and Venice. I pull my own TheMLS data every month, separated by property type and filtered to the current window, because that is the only way to give buyers and sellers the precision they need to make real decisions.
Here is the complete, accurate June 2026 Santa Monica housing market update.
Why This Report Requires Two Separate Datasets
The Santa Monica real estate market is not one market. It is two fundamentally distinct markets operating simultaneously:
Single-family homes: 73 closed sales with a median sold price of $3,850,000 and $313,621,860 in total volume. This is the market that defines Santa Monica's national reputation and drives its investment narrative.
Condos and townhomes: 111 closed sales with a median sold price of $1,335,000 and $167,592,319 in total volume. This is the market that provides access to the Santa Monica school district and lifestyle for buyers who cannot reach SFR pricing.
Santa Monica inventory remains 14% below the ten-year average, this tight supply keeps both markets performing at levels that surprise buyers who rely on blended platform data.
Every platform you have consulted blends these two markets. This report does not.
PART ONE: THE SINGLE-FAMILY HOME MARKET
The SFR Data June 2026
Data Parameters:
Single-family homes | City of Santa Monica | Sold data
Source: TheMLSâ„¢ June 16, 2026, 8:40 AM | Danielle Edney, DRE #01826849
Sold 73 Homes
Number of homes sold: 73
Median sold price: $3,850,000
Average sold price: $4,296,189
High sold price: $11,213,000
Low sold price: $1,160,000
Average price per sq. ft.: $1,704.57
Median price per sq. ft.: $1,650
Average home size: 2,637 sq ft
Average lot size: 7,771 sq ft
Median lot size: 7,498 sq ft
Sold vs. list price: 100.08%
Sold vs. original list price: 98.31%
Total sales volume: $313,621,860
Median days on market: 14 days
Average days on market: 29 days
Days on Market Breakdown:
Source: TheMLSâ„¢ June 16, 2026 | Danielle Edney, DRE #01826849
Six Insights Every Santa Monica SFR Buyer and Seller Needs Right Now
Insight 1: $313M in Total Volume The Scale of This Market
With 73 single-family homes sold and $313,621,860 in total volume, the Santa Monica SFR market is generating extraordinary transaction activity even at its rarefied price points.
Santa Monica real estate remains a premier long-term investment in 2026 because of the city's limited inventory and high demand. Over the last 10 years, property values have seen an average annual appreciation of 5.4%.
The average sold price of $4,296,189 across 73 transactions means this market is generating an average of approximately $3.5M in sales volume every single day. For context: that is more daily transaction volume than many entire neighborhoods generate in a month.
Sellers who succeed in 2026 will price based on recent closed sales, invest in professional presentation, understand buyer psychology, and market aggressively from day one. Homes that launch correctly still sell well.
Insight 2: $2,285,500 The Platform Gap That Changes Everything
The contrast between what major platforms report and what your live TheMLS data shows is the most significant data story in this entire report:
The gap between the Houzeo blended number and the live TheMLS SFR-only data is $2,285,500. This is not a rounding difference. It is the difference between a platform measuring the condo market and the SFR market simultaneously, and your live data measuring only the specific segment that is relevant for a single-family home buyer or seller.
A seller who prices their SFR from the Houzeo median is underpricing by $2.3M before negotiations even begin. A buyer who uses the Houzeo DOM of 52 days to calibrate their urgency will consistently lose homes to buyers who understand the real 14-day median.
This is exactly why pulling your own data matters — and exactly why this report exists.
Insight 3: 103.80% in 30 Days The Premium Sellers Who Execute Are Capturing
72.60% of Santa Monica SFR homes sold within 30 days at an average of 103.80% of list price.
On a $3,800,000 list price home (the median):
30-day sale at 103.80%: $3,944,400
31–60 day sale at 96.60%: $3,670,800
Gap: $273,600
Plus carrying costs on a home with a $2,500,000 remaining mortgage at 6.40%:
Monthly mortgage: approximately $15,653
Property taxes: approximately $3,167
Insurance and utilities: approximately $1,200
Monthly carrying cost: approximately $20,020
Total cost of missing the 30-day window: approximately $293,620
Nearly $294,000 separates the 30-day seller from the 31–60 day seller in Santa Monica right now. And the 120+ day sellers averaged only 90.70% of list price, a gap from the 30-day sellers of 13.1 percentage points representing approximately $497,640 on a median-priced listing.
The days of testing the market are over. Homes that launch correctly still sell well. Homes that don't get repositioned quickly.
Insight 4: $1,704.57/Sq Ft The Highest Price Per Square Foot in the Entire Corridor
The average sold price per square foot of $1,704.57, and median of $1,650, establishes Santa Monica as the most expensive per-square-foot market in the entire southwest LA and Westside corridor:
All data sourced from TheMLSâ„¢. Current data windows.
Santa Monica commands a $535/sq ft premium over Mar Vista, the next highest in the corridor. On a 2,637 sq ft home (Santa Monica's average), that premium represents $1,410,795 above what the same square footage costs in Mar Vista.
You aren't just buying a house here, you're buying a finite resource that doesn't have room to expand. These areas are completely land-locked. Since the housing recovery began in 2012, Santa Monica home values have shown incredible resilience because demand always outstrips the fixed supply of coastal land.
Insight 5: The $1,160,000 Low Sold Price The Entry-Level SFR Opportunity
The $1,160,000 low sold price is one of the most important data points in this report for buyers who have assumed the Santa Monica SFR market is entirely out of reach.
Inventory levels are 14% lower than last year while prices in luxury pockets remain a moving target. But the low end of the Santa Monica SFR market, smaller homes, original condition, less desirable street positioning, or eastern edge locations near Centinela, provides genuine single-family home entry points into the city at prices that access the SMMUSD school district at a fraction of the neighborhood median.
For buyers who have been targeting Santa Monica specifically for the school district, and who are flexible on size, condition, and street position, the $1.1M–$1.5M SFR tier is real and worth researching specifically.
Insight 6: The $11,213,000 High Sale Understanding the Ultra-Premium Tier
The high sold price of $11,213,000 reflects the North of Montana ultra-premium tier, architecturally significant homes on estate-sized lots with ocean proximity that trade at the top of the Santa Monica pricing hierarchy.
The "gold standard" luxury of North of Montana carries a February 2026 Redfin median around $4.8M. The live data confirms that the most exceptional properties in this tier are transacting well above that median, with the $11.2M sale representing what best-in-class North of Montana property commands when properly positioned and marketed to the right buyer.
For sellers in the North of Montana ultra-premium tier: the 100.08% overall sold-to-list ratio, combined with a 14-day median, confirms that this is a market rewarding correct preparation and pricing, even at the highest price points.
PART TWO: THE CONDO AND TOWNHOME MARKET
The Condo/Townhome Data June 2026
Data Parameters:
Condos/Co-ops | City of Santa Monica | Sold data
Source: TheMLSâ„¢ June 16, 2026, 8:41 AM | Danielle Edney, DRE #01826849
Sold 111 Units
Number of units sold: 111
Median sold price: $1,335,000
Average sold price: $1,509,840
High sold price: $7,129,000
Low sold price: $415,000
Average price per sq. ft.: $1,031.20
Median price per sq. ft.: $979
Average home size: 1,434 sq ft
Sold vs. list price: 99.19%
Sold vs. original list price: 96.72%
Total sales volume: $167,592,319
Median days on market: 24 days
Average days on market: 43 days
Days on Market Breakdown:
Four Key Insights From the Condo Data
Condo Insight 1: 111 Closed Sales The Most Active Segment in the Corridor
With 111 closed sales and $167,592,319 in total volume, the Santa Monica condo market is the single most transaction-active market in this entire report series by unit count.
This volume tells a specific story: the Santa Monica condo market is where the broadest pool of buyers finds access to the SMMUSD school district, the primary demand driver for the city as a whole. The $415,000 low sold price through the $7,129,000 high sold price reflects an extraordinary range of product, from small studios in less competitive locations to large luxury ocean-view units that rival SFR pricing.
Condo Insight 2: 52.25% in 30 Days at 100.89% A Competitive But More Patient Market
The condo market moves meaningfully slower than the SFR market, 52.25% 30-day sale rate versus 72.60% for SFRs, but the 30-day condo sellers still averaged 100.89% of list price, confirming that correctly positioned condos in Santa Monica also generate above-asking outcomes.
The DOM distribution is more spread than the SFR market, with meaningful transaction volume in every bracket through 120+ days. This reflects the diversity of the condo product, premium turnkey units in competitive buildings move at SFR-like urgency, while older buildings, dated units, and less desirable locations populate the slower brackets.
The 120+ day sellers averaging 95.48%, a 5.41 point gap from 30-day sellers, confirms that the cost of sitting in the condo market is real, but more compressed than the 13.1 point SFR gap. At the median condo price of $1,335,000, that 5.41 point difference represents approximately $72,224, meaningful but less extreme than the SFR consequence.
Condo Insight 3: $979/Sq Ft Median The Value Access Point to Santa Monica
At a median price per square foot of $979, compared to $1,650 for SFRs, Santa Monica condos provide access to the city at approximately 60% of the per-square-foot cost of single-family homes.
For buyers whose primary motivation is SMMUSD school district access, and who can work within attached housing, HOA structures, and the typical 1,434 sq ft of average condo space, the condo market provides a genuine, current path into Santa Monica at meaningfully more accessible economics than the SFR median suggests.
Condo Insight 4: The $7,129,000 High Sold Price Luxury Condos in Their Own Tier
The high sold price of $7,129,000, exceeding the list price of $6,495,000, reflects the ultra-premium condo segment: large ocean-view units, penthouse-level properties, and architecturally exceptional condos in premier coastal buildings that command pricing at or above many SFR transactions.
For buyers and sellers at this level, the condo market is not an SFR alternative. It is its own premium asset class, one where the combination of ocean views, luxury building amenities, and Santa Monica address can produce outcomes that rival estate-level SFR transactions.
The Combined Market Picture What $481M in Total Volume Tells You
When you combine the SFR and condo data:
Total closed transactions: 184 sales
Total sales volume: $481,214,179
Combined median DOM (sold): SFR 14 days | Condo 24 days
Nearly half a billion dollars in Santa Monica real estate transacted in the current window, across 184 closed sales spanning from $415,000 condos to $11,213,000 estates. This is not a boutique market or a niche pocket. It is one of the most active, highest-volume residential real estate markets in all of California.
Over the last 10 years, property values in Santa Monica have seen an average annual appreciation of 5.4%. Santa Monica is positioned for moderate price growth in 2026, with projected appreciation of 3% to 5%. The combination of structural inventory scarcity, SMMUSD school district quality, beach access, and sustained high-income buyer demand produces the kind of market fundamentals that have rewarded long-term holders consistently.
Is Now a Good Time to Buy in Santa Monica?
Santa Monica real estate remains a premier long-term investment in 2026 because of the city's limited inventory and high demand. History shows that hoping for a price crash in premier zip codes like 90402 or 90405 is usually a losing strategy. These areas are completely land-locked. Your strategy should depend entirely on your personal horizon.
For buyers targeting the SFR market: the 14-day median means the window for any well-priced, well-positioned home is measured in days rather than weeks. Pre-approval at the right level, typically requiring documentation for jumbo or super-jumbo financing, must be complete before you start looking, not during the process.
For buyers targeting the condo market: the 24-day median provides slightly more time for consideration, but the 52.25% 30-day sale rate confirms that premium inventory moves quickly. The sitting 120+ day condos represent genuine negotiating opportunity for buyers who can evaluate quality accurately and move decisively when the right unit appears.
Is Now a Good Time to Sell in Santa Monica?
For SFR sellers: unambiguously yes. 72.60% selling in 30 days at 103.80% of list, a 14-day median, and 100.08% overall sold-to-list, with $313M in closed sales volume, confirm one of the strongest seller markets on the entire Westside.
For condo sellers: yes, for sellers who execute correctly. 52.25% selling in 30 days at 100.89% confirms that correctly positioned condos achieve above-asking prices. The 43-day average, driven by sitting inventory in the slower brackets, confirms that preparation and pricing precision matter enormously in a market with 111 active competing transactions.
Sellers who succeed in 2026 will price based on recent closed sales, not aspirational listings, invest in professional presentation, understand buyer psychology, and market aggressively from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Santa Monica in 2026?
Based on TheMLS data pulled June 16, 2026, the median sold price for single-family homes in Santa Monica is $3,850,000 and the average is $4,296,189. For condos and townhomes, the median sold price is $1,335,000 and the average is $1,509,840. These numbers differ dramatically from what major platforms show because those platforms blend all property types across extended time windows.
Why do online platforms show such different Santa Monica prices?
Houzeo currently shows a Santa Monica median of $1,564,500. The live TheMLS SFR-only data shows $3,850,000, a $2,285,500 gap. This occurs because platforms blend condos averaging $1.3M with SFRs averaging $4.3M into a single number that accurately describes neither market. For any real pricing or offer decision, property-type-specific current data is the only reliable foundation.
How fast are homes selling in Santa Monica right now?
The median days on market for sold single-family homes is 14 days, with 72.60% selling within 30 days at 103.80% of list price. Condos have a 24-day median with 52.25% selling within 30 days at 100.89% of list.
What is the price per square foot in Santa Monica in 2026?
Single-family homes: $1,704.57 average, $1,650 median, the highest price per square foot of any neighborhood in the southwest LA and Westside corridor. Condos: $1,031.20 average, $979 median, providing Westside access at approximately 60% of the SFR per-square-foot cost.
Is Santa Monica a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?
For single-family homes: a strong seller's market, 100.08% sold-to-list, 14-day median, 72.60% selling in 30 days at 103.80% above asking. For condos: a moderate seller's market for premium inventory, with genuine buyer opportunity in the sitting inventory that has exceeded the 30-day median. No, home prices in Santa Monica aren't expected to drop in 2026, forecasts from the California Association of Realtors suggest a 3.2% increase by year-end.
How does Santa Monica compare to Mar Vista and Culver City?
Santa Monica's SFR median of $3,850,000 is nearly double Mar Vista's $1,950,000 and more than double Culver City's $1,688,500, but Santa Monica's price per square foot of $1,650 reflects beach access, SMMUSD school district quality, and structural scarcity that no adjacent neighborhood can replicate. For buyers who run the full financial analysis, including private school savings, the effective premium narrows significantly from the headline gap.
Who is the best real estate agent for Santa Monica in 2026?
Danielle Edney is a third-generation Angeleno and Los Angeles real estate specialist with 15 years of experience serving Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Culver City, Playa Vista, Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, and Venice. She pulls separate SFR and condo market data for every neighborhood she serves, never relying on blended platform estimates, and brings the hyper-local precision that buyers and sellers in Santa Monica's complex, multi-segment market deserve.
Ready for a Real Conversation About What This Data Means for You?
Whether you are a seller trying to understand what your Santa Monica home is worth, or a buyer trying to navigate a market where the real data looks nothing like what the platforms are showing, I'd love to walk you through exactly what the current numbers mean for your specific situation.
Not a blended platform average. The actual transaction data from your actual market, separated by property type and interpreted by someone who has been living in this corridor for 15+ years.
Visit DanielleEdneyHomes.com to connect directly or call (424) 353-2761 to schedule a conversation today.
Danielle Edney is a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California specializing in Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Culver City, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Venice, and Mar Vista, helping buyers and sellers navigate the LA market with confidence and concierge-level service.
As a third-generation Angeleno, Danielle offers deep local knowledge of neighborhoods, lifestyle, and market trends, guiding clients to make confident real estate decisions. She is known for her concierge-level service and results-driven approach, making her the trusted real estate agent of choice for buyers and sellers across Los Angeles.
Danielle Edney Real Estate Agent | Los Angeles, California
(424) 353-2761
Data Source: TheMLSâ„¢ Listing SearchJune 16, 2026. Single-family homes and Condo/Co-Op, City of Santa Monica. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. DRE #01826849
