Current numbers, October 26, 2026
Condos listed on the MLS right now, refreshed every six hours.
| Neighborhood | For sale | Median asking | Median $/sq ft | For rent | Median rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | 163 | $1.29M | $972 | 149 | $4,995/mo |
| Marina del Rey | 12 | $1.25M | $808 | 2 | — |
Medians appear only when enough listings publish the figure; a dash means too few to report. Full neighborhood reports
As of October 12, 2026, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey condos ask almost the same median price on LA Condo HQ: $1,289,500 across 158 Santa Monica listings and $1,294,500 across 14 in Marina del Rey (data as of October 10). The difference is depth, price per foot and, inside the county-owned marina, what you actually own.
Every figure below is an asking price or rent on CRMLS listings published on LA Condo HQ, read from /market-reports/santa-monica, /market-reports/marina-del-rey and /market-stats on October 13, 2026, not a closed sale. The ownership facts come from Los Angeles County's lease documents.
The two reports side by side
As of October 12, 2026, the Santa Monica report showed 158 condos for sale at a median asking price of $1,289,500, about $977 per square foot. The median listing measured 1,358 square feet, asking prices ran from $495,000 to $11,499,000, and the median listing had been on the market 50 days.
As of October 10, 2026, the Marina del Rey report showed 14 condos for sale at a median asking price of $1,294,500, about $813 per square foot. The median listing measured 1,573 square feet, asking prices ran from $779,000 to $1,495,000, and the median listing had been on the market 48 days. The citywide table on /market-stats, refreshed October 12, 2026, shows both neighborhoods at a $1.29M median, against $789K for all 1,982 published Los Angeles listings.
Read literally, the same median ask buys a larger listing at a lower price per foot in Marina del Rey. But 14 listings is a thin sample, and one new listing can move every Marina del Rey figure.
Matching layouts instead of medians
As of October 12, 2026, Santa Monica's 98 two-bedroom listings asked a median of $1,287,000, about $948 per square foot. As of October 10, 2026, Marina del Rey's seven two-bedroom listings asked a median of $1,295,000, about $895 per square foot. For a two-bedroom, the two are close.
Three-bedrooms split. Santa Monica's 26 asked a median of $2,147,500, about $1,159 per square foot, while Marina del Rey's five asked $1,299,000, about $808. Five listings is too few to call a pattern.
In Santa Monica, 36% of listings asked $500K to $1M and 45% asked $1M to $2M. In Marina del Rey, three asked $500K to $1M and the other 11 asked $1M to $2M. A buyer under $750,000 had one-bedroom options in Santa Monica, where 29 listings asked a median of $735,000, and no Marina del Rey listing that low.
Renters will find one table full and one nearly empty
As of October 12, 2026, Santa Monica had 142 condos listed for rent at a median asking rent of $4,825 a month, with two-bedrooms at $5,995. Marina del Rey had two condos listed for rent as of October 10, 2026, too few for the report to publish a median, and /market-stats shows a dash in its rent column. A dash means no median could be computed, not that rents are zero.
There is also a structural reason, covered in the next section. Inside the county-owned marina, every residential property but one is a rental apartment complex, and apartments do not appear in condo counts. Current condo rentals in both areas are at /condos-for-rent.
Who owns the land under a Marina del Rey condo
County board letters describe the marina's leases as ground leases of county-owned property. The County Department of Beaches and Harbors says its Asset Management Division manages those Marina ground leases and negotiates new leases and extensions.
In a February 27, 2024 letter adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the department wrote that the Marina City Club lease, covering 4333 Admiralty Way, is the only leasehold in Marina del Rey that allows condo ownership. All other residential properties in the marina are rental apartments. Marina City Club has 600 condominium units in three high-rise towers, plus 101 rental apartments.
The same letter says those units are not technically condominiums under California's Subdivision Map Act; each owner holds a prepaid subleasehold interest for the term of the lease. The lease began on November 7, 1986, expires on July 29, 2067, and the property then reverts to county ownership.
Not every listing in our Marina del Rey report is at Marina City Club. The report counts listings by community name or ZIP code, and ZIP 90292 also covers parts of the City of Los Angeles, as /blog/la-condo-neighborhoods-by-zip-code explains. So the first question for any Marina del Rey listing is which kind it is.
What a Marina City Club owner pays the county
Per the 2024 letter, condo ground rent is an assigned rent basis for each unit times a 14.5% rate, effective January 1, 2024. It rises 3.25% a year from January 1, 2025 to the end of the term. The lessee collects it through the Condo Owners Association, which collects from owners.
When a unit changes hands, the county receives an administrative transfer fee of 2.5% of the sales price for Category A units and 1.0% for Category B units. On a hypothetical $1,000,000 sale, 2.5% is $25,000. The letter also says certain maintenance and capital-improvement costs attributable to the condos are assessed against each owner and collected through the association. Ask for the sublease, the current rent schedule and the association's budget before you write an offer, and ask your lender whether it will finance a subleasehold interest.
Santa Monica's simpler title and its city transfer tax
Santa Monica has no county ground lease. A condo there is normally a fee-simple interest with no end date, which you confirm on the preliminary title report. Its extra cost comes at closing: the City of Santa Monica charges its own transfer tax of $3.00 per $1,000 of value under $5 million, with higher rates above that, on top of the county's $0.55 per $500.
On a hypothetical $1,000,000 sale, that is $3,000 to the city plus $1,100 to the county. Unincorporated Marina del Rey is not one of the five cities on the county Registrar-Recorder's list of special city rates, but the City of Los Angeles is, and part of ZIP 90292 lies inside it. The purchase contract sets who pays, and /research/closing-cost-calculator itemizes the taxes for a given price and jurisdiction.
Which shortlist to build first
Start with Santa Monica if you want choice: 158 listings from $495,000 to over $11 million, a full rental market, and buildings with several units for sale at once, such as /buildings/201-ocean-avenue with six as of October 12, 2026. See /neighborhoods/santa-monica and /blog/santa-monica-condo-buyer-guide.
Start with Marina del Rey if you want the harbor and a larger floor plan at the median, and will sort each listing into Marina City Club subleasehold or an ordinary condo outside the county lease. See /neighborhoods/marina-del-rey, slips in /blog/marina-del-rey-waterfront-condo-guide, and the association documents to request at /condo-associations. Listings for both are at /condos-for-sale.
LA Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC, a research publisher, not a brokerage.
Questions buyers ask about Santa Monica vs. Marina del Rey condos
Are Santa Monica condos more expensive than Marina del Rey condos?
By median asking price, barely. As of October 12, 2026, Santa Monica's 158 listings asked a median of $1,289,500 on LA Condo HQ, and as of October 10, 2026, Marina del Rey's 14 asked $1,294,500. Per square foot, Santa Monica asked more: about $977 against about $813. These are asking prices, not sales.
Are Marina del Rey condos on leased land?
Only some. Los Angeles County says the Marina City Club lease at 4333 Admiralty Way is the only leasehold in Marina del Rey that allows condo ownership, with 600 units held as prepaid subleaseholds. Other listings in ZIP 90292 are outside that lease.
When does the Marina City Club ground lease end?
On July 29, 2067, according to the county's February 27, 2024 board letter. The lease began on November 7, 1986, and the letter says the property reverts to county ownership when it expires.
Why does Marina del Rey show no median condo rent?
Because only two Marina del Rey condos were listed for rent as of October 10, 2026, too few for a median. Santa Monica had 142 condo rentals at a median asking rent of $4,825 a month as of October 12, 2026.
Does Santa Monica charge a city transfer tax on condo sales?
Yes. The City of Santa Monica charges $3.00 per $1,000 of value under $5 million, with higher tiers above that, on top of Los Angeles County's $0.55 per $500. Unincorporated Marina del Rey is not a city, so no city transfer tax applies there.
Sources and review scope
Sources checked 2026-10-13. The notes identify which facts each publication supports.
- LA Condo HQ — Santa Monica Condo Market Report (data as of October 12, 2026)
158 condos for sale; median asking price $1,289,500; about $977 per sq ft; median size 1,358 sq ft; asking range $495,000–$11,499,000; median 50 days on market; 2-bedroom: 98 listings, median $1,287,000, $948/sq ft; 3-bedroom: 26 listings, median $2,147,500, $1,159/sq ft; 1-bedroom: 29 listings, median $735,000; 36% asking $500K–$1M and 45% $1M–$2M; 142 rentals at a median asking rent of $4,825/mo, 2-bedroom rentals $5,995/mo; 201 Ocean Avenue with 6 listings. Asking prices, not closed sales.
- LA Condo HQ — Marina del Rey Condo Market Report (data as of October 10, 2026)
14 condos for sale; median asking price $1,294,500; about $813 per sq ft; median size 1,573 sq ft; asking range $779,000–$1,495,000; median 48 days on market; 2-bedroom: 7 listings, median $1,295,000, $895/sq ft; 3-bedroom: 5 listings, median $1,299,000, $808/sq ft; 3 listings $500K–$1M and 11 $1M–$2M; 2 rentals, too few for a median; inventory identified by community name or postal code. Asking prices, not closed sales.
- LA Condo HQ — Los Angeles Condo Market Report (read October 13, 2026; inventory refreshed October 12, 2026)
1,982 published for-sale listings at a $789K median asking price; neighborhood table: Santa Monica 158 for sale at $1.29M, 142 rentals at $5K/mo; Marina del Rey 14 for sale at $1.29M, 2 rentals with no median (dash). Asking prices, not closed sales.
- County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors — Board letter adopted February 27, 2024: Amendment No. 10 to Second Amended and Restated Lease No. 55624, Marina City Club
Marina City Club, 4333 Admiralty Way, is the only leasehold in Marina del Rey that allows condo ownership; all other residential properties in the Marina are rental apartments only; 600 condominium units in three high-rise towers plus 101 rental apartments; units are not technically condominiums under the Subdivision Map Act and each owner holds a prepaid subleasehold interest; lease commenced November 7, 1986 and expires July 29, 2067, when the property reverts to County ownership; condo rent = Assigned Rent Basis x 14.5% from January 1, 2024, rising 3.25% a year from January 1, 2025; collected by the Lessee through the Condo Owners Association; administrative transfer fee of 2.5% (Category A) or 1.0% (Category B) of the sales price paid to the County; certain maintenance and capital costs assessed against condo owners.
- County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors — Divisions (Asset Management Division)
The Asset Management Division maintains and manages Marina ground leases and negotiates new Marina ground leases and lease extensions.
- County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors — Board letter adopted August 4, 2020: Amendment No. 9, Parcel 125I (Marina City Club)
Describes Marina del Rey leases as ground leases of County-owned property; Marina City Club lease term expiring July 29, 2067; 600 condo units in three high-rise towers.
- City of Santa Monica — Documentary Transfer Tax (Real Property Transfer Tax)
City tax of $3.00 per $1,000 under $5 million, $6.00 per $1,000 from $5 million to $7,999,999.99, and $56.00 per $1,000 at $8 million or more (Measure GS, from March 1, 2023), plus the County Documentary Transfer Tax of $0.55 per $500.
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk — Documentary Transfer Tax
County documentary transfer tax of $0.55 for each $500 of value; special city rates apply in five cities: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica.
Written by
Publisher and editor, LA Condo HQ
LA Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC. This article is not reviewed by a licensed real estate agent or broker and is not professional advice.
