Beverly Hills vs. Santa Monica Condos: Bigger Units or More Choice

As of October 20, 2026, Beverly Hills condos asked a median $1,895,000 against $1,295,000 in Santa Monica, according to /market-reports/beverly-hills and /market-reports/santa-monica. Santa Monica asked more per square foot, about $986 to $900, so the gap comes from size: the median Beverly Hills listing was 731 square feet larger.

Every figure in this post is an asking price or asking rent on CRMLS listings published on LA Condo HQ, read on October 21, 2026 from the two neighborhood reports, which both showed data as of October 20, 2026. None is a closed sale. Differences and percentages not printed on the pages are our own arithmetic on their medians. LA Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC, a research publisher, not a brokerage.

The headline gap is a size gap

The two medians sit $600,000 apart, which makes Beverly Hills look about 46% more expensive. Price per square foot points the other way. As of October 20, 2026, the Beverly Hills median was about $900 a square foot and the Santa Monica median about $986, roughly 10% higher.

The difference is the units themselves. The median Beverly Hills listing measured 2,101 square feet; the median Santa Monica listing measured 1,370. A buyer comparing the two headline numbers is mostly comparing a larger home with a smaller one, not a pricier city with a cheaper one. If you know the floor area you need, multiply it by each city's per-foot median for a fairer first read, then check real listings, because a median is not a valuation.

Bedroom by bedroom, the gap narrows

Both reports split the for-sale inventory by layout, and both cities lean the same way: two-bedrooms were 60% of listings in each as of October 20, 2026.

Two-bedrooms asked a median of $1,800,000 in Beverly Hills, about $858 a square foot, across 39 listings, against $1,289,000 and about $944 a square foot across 99 listings in Santa Monica. That is a $511,000 gap at the median. Three-bedrooms narrowed it: $2,222,500 and about $996 a square foot across 16 Beverly Hills listings, against $1,950,000 and about $1,080 across 29 in Santa Monica, a $272,500 difference.

The four-bedroom row reversed it. Six Beverly Hills listings with four or more bedrooms asked a median of $3,345,000, about $1,005 a square foot, while five in Santa Monica asked $3,850,000, about $987. At the small end, Beverly Hills had only four one-bedrooms, at a median of $874,950, against 31 in Santa Monica at $735,000. Santa Monica's per-foot median was higher in every row except four or more bedrooms.

Santa Monica has two and a half times the choice

As of October 20, 2026, Santa Monica had 165 condos for sale on LA Condo HQ and Beverly Hills had 65, about 2.5 times as many. Every listing in both reports published a bed count, so the layout tables above cover the whole inventory.

The pace was similar. Santa Monica listings had been on the market a median of 51 days and Beverly Hills listings 54. Neither number says how long a well-priced unit lasts, only how long the listings now active have been waiting, but it does mean neither city was clearing its inventory much faster than the other on this date.

Where each budget lands

The price-band tables show where the larger inventory goes. As of October 20, 2026, 61 Santa Monica listings asked under $1 million, 37% of the total, against seven in Beverly Hills, 11%. The $1 million to $2 million band held 76 listings in Santa Monica and 27 in Beverly Hills.

Above $2 million the count flips. Beverly Hills had 31 listings at $2 million or more, 15 between $2 million and $3 million, eight between $3 million and $5 million and eight at $5 million and up. Santa Monica had 28, with 19, six and three in the same bands. Asking prices ran from $679,000 to $27,500,000 in Beverly Hills and from $495,000 to $11,499,000 in Santa Monica. Under $1 million, Santa Monica is the realistic search; above $2 million, the smaller city offers slightly more choice.

Renting in each city

The rental side follows the same supply pattern. As of October 20, 2026, Santa Monica had 144 condos for rent at a median of $4,973 a month and Beverly Hills had 72 at $5,475.

By layout, the cities trade places. One-bedrooms asked $3,500 in Beverly Hills and $3,195 in Santa Monica, but two-bedrooms asked $5,725 in Santa Monica against $4,673 in Beverly Hills, about $1,050 more. Three-bedrooms were nearly level, $7,995 and $7,900. Rentals are browsable at /condos-for-rent, and /research/rent-vs-buy-calculator compares renting with owning under your own assumptions.

Both are independent cities with their own rent rules, separate from the City of Los Angeles. If you plan to buy a unit to rent out, ask the city about that unit's status before you write an offer.

Two cities, two transfer-tax bills

The deed costs very different amounts to record. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder charges $0.55 for each $500 of value and lists special city rates in only five cities. Santa Monica is one of them; Beverly Hills is not, so only the county tax applies there. Neither city is in the City of Los Angeles, so its transfer tax and Measure ULA tiers do not apply.

Santa Monica's own page sets its city tax at $3.00 per $1,000 under $5 million, $6.00 per $1,000 from $5 million to $7,999,999.99, and, since Measure GS took effect on March 1, 2023, $56.00 per $1,000 at $8 million or more, charged on the whole value. At each city's median, that is $2,084.50 in Beverly Hills against $1,424.50 to the county plus $3,885 to the city in Santa Monica. At $8 million, the city's own example shows $448,000 in city tax. The purchase contract sets who pays, so run your price through /research/closing-cost-calculator and confirm the city on the preliminary title report.

The buildings behind each report

Both reports attribute listings to profiled buildings by exact address and leave unmatched listings in the totals only. As of October 20, 2026, Beverly Hills was led by /buildings/9200-wilshire-boulevard with eight listings, then /buildings/300-north-swall-drive with five and 325 North Oakhurst Drive and 8600 Wilshire Boulevard with three each. Santa Monica was led by /buildings/201-ocean-avenue with seven and /buildings/101-california-avenue with five, then 2002 4th Street, 515 Ocean Avenue and 701 Ocean Avenue with four each.

Questions buyers ask about Beverly Hills vs. Santa Monica condos

Choosing between them

If floor area matters most, Beverly Hills offered more of it per dollar on this date. If choice and an entry price under $1 million matter most, Santa Monica had far more of both, at a higher cost per foot and a larger tax at closing. These numbers are fixed to October 20, 2026, and both reports refresh, so reopen them, and the citywide table at /market-stats, before you act.

For the neighborhoods themselves, start with /neighborhoods/beverly-hills and /neighborhoods/santa-monica. Related comparisons are at /blog/century-city-vs-beverly-hills-condos and /blog/brentwood-vs-santa-monica-condos, and the association documents to request on any unit are listed at /condo-associations. LA Condo HQ does not list on the MLS, represent buyers or close transactions.