California · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area

Buying a home in Long Beach, California

In Long Beach, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $806,600, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, and a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Long Beach home costs, fact by fact

About Long Beach

Long Beach is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, the 2nd largest in the United States, and has 450,901 residents. Median gross rent is $1,871 per month, and 41.2% of homes are occupied by their owners.

Reading the Long Beach figures

In Long Beach the owner-estimated value, $806,600, lands above the California figure of $770,700. Among the cities Payotte covers in the state, it sits below Los Angeles near $921,200, Fullerton near $902,600, Hayward near $854,400, Anaheim near $831,200, Ventura near $827,300 and Simi Valley near $823,800, plus Garden Grove near $814,100. It stands above Concord near $797,600, Downey near $796,600, Inglewood near $792,800, Santa Clarita near $784,700, West Covina near $779,800 and Oceanside near $770,300. Each value is reported by an owner and does not record a sale.

The tenure split matters as much as the price. Only 41.2% of Long Beach households own, a share that resembles Inglewood's 36.2% and Los Angeles's 36%, but far below Simi Valley sitting at 72.9% and Santa Clarita sitting at 71.8%. Rent runs $1,871 a month, which is below Downey near $1,937, Garden Grove near $2,012, Anaheim near $2,175 and Fullerton near $2,194, yet above Inglewood near $1,787. So a city valued above the state level still carries a rent lower than many of the other cities in this list.

HUD's benchmark points the other way. For the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area it sets $2,964 at the smaller size, rising to $3,760 at the larger size. That is a federal reference for a whole area, not a median of what tenants in Long Beach actually pay, so the gap with the $1,871 survey rent should be read as a difference of method before it is read as a difference of cost.

On the ownership side, Los Angeles County shows median yearly property taxes of $5,675, and the effective rate is 0.68%; where the county's homes are valued at $834,200 at the median. Long Beach's value of $806,600 sits a little below that county value. Closing on a loan in the county cost $11,266 at the median across 32,309 loans reported in 2025, and the central range stretched from $7,619 to $18,640.

Population adds context: Long Beach has 450,901 residents inside the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, ranked 2nd nationally. Among the cities named above, only Los Angeles is larger, and only Anaheim, at 344,561, comes close. Oceanside, at 170,941 residents, and Garden Grove, at 172,361, are far smaller. Seen together, the figures make Long Beach a city of renters with a value at the state level and a monthly rent that sits below many of the cities with similar or lower values.

The city is also divided into 123 neighborhoods, of which Payotte shows the 10 most populous as sectors.

Calculate for California

If you buy

California state transfer tax

California has no state transfer tax; counties and cities may charge one.

Price$770,700
State transfer taxnot computed
Who paysSet by the purchase contract

Default price: the California median value of owner-occupied homes, $770,700 (Census ACS 2025). Not computed: No state tax. The tax is set by county and city, so it cannot be computed from the state alone. Who pays: Neither the state statute nor the City of Los Angeles FAQ assigns the tax; the purchase contract and escrow instructions decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. California transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: California state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Sectors of Long Beach

Long Beach is divided into the ten most populous of 123 neighborhoods, one open spot per trade in each.

Source: City of Long Beach GIS, Long Beach Neighborhoods. Population per area is a Payotte estimate: the sum of Census ACS 2020-2024 populations (table B01003) of the 2020 census tracts whose internal point lies inside each official boundary.

Questions about buying a home in Long Beach

How much is property tax in Long Beach?

Homeowners in Los Angeles County pay a median $5,675 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $834,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Long Beach?

Home-purchase mortgages in Los Angeles County carried median total loan costs of $11,266 in 2025; half of the 32,309 loans fell between $7,619 and $18,640 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Long Beach?

California has no state transfer tax. Counties may charge $0.55 per $500 of value under the Documentary Transfer Tax Act, and cities such as Los Angeles add their own, with Measure ULA adding 4% or 5.5% on very high-priced sales.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Long Beach?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Long Beach ($806,600) equals 35.9 years of the median gross rent ($1,871 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Long Beach?

Across California, the main hazards for home insurance are earthquake, wildfire, flood and landslide, and the insurer of last resort is California FAIR Plan. A standard California homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage; insurers must offer earthquake coverage (Insurance Code 10081), and the FAIR Plan sells limited fire coverage up to $3 million for residential policyholders.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

California rules that apply in Long Beach

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides