Long Beach, CA Housing Market: Prices, Inventory and Trends (November 2026)

by Rick Lee

The Long Beach, CA housing market is part of a Los Angeles County market where prices are rising slowly: the median existing single-family home in the county sold for $994,670 in September 2026, up 1.2% from $983,230 a year earlier, according to C.A.R. For anyone buying a home in Long Beach, CA or selling one in this coastal city, the figures below come from three sources:

the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) September 2026 sales report
Freddie Mac's mortgage rate survey for the week of October 29, 2026
the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey

Key Takeaway

Regional prices are rising slowly: the county and the state are both up modestly year over year. Whether Long Beach favors buyers or sellers depends on months of supply measured against the roughly six months that marks a balanced market. Buyers have room to negotiate on homes that sit, and sellers still need to price to recent comparable sales.

Who This Guide Is For

Buyers, sellers and owners checking current Long Beach home prices and market conditions before deciding when to buy or list.

Long Beach Market at a Glance

LA County single-family median: $994,670 in September 2026, up 1.2%.
California median: $899,720 in September 2026, up 1.7%.
30-year fixed mortgage rate: 7.24% as of October 29, 2026.
Long Beach median household income: $87,430 (2020-2024 Census estimate).
About six months of supply signals a balanced market.

Long Beach Housing Market Right Now

C.A.R. publishes county and state medians, not a citywide Long Beach median. Take the city's measures from one listing source for one month so they stay comparable:

median sale price and its year-over-year change
median price per square foot
homes sold
active listings
months of supply
median days on market
the sale-to-list ratio
the share of homes sold above list

Median price per square foot is the fairest way to compare homes of different sizes across the city.

Months of supply is the number of months it would take to sell every active listing at the current sales pace. A six-month supply traditionally indicates a balanced market. Below that, buyers compete for move-in-ready listings and sellers have the advantage. Above it, buyers gain bargaining power and price reductions become more common.

The number of homes sold, compared with the same month a year earlier, shows whether demand is broadening or thinning. Fewer sales alongside a higher median means a smaller pool of buyers is setting prices, so the median can swing more from month to month. Rising sales with steady prices point to a more balanced market.

The sale-to-list ratio shows how close homes sell to their asking price. A ratio near 100% means appropriately priced homes do not require steep price reductions to attract offers. A rising share of homes selling above list means less room for buyers to negotiate.

Homes that need too much work or sit above market value linger and often end with a reduction. Sellers should set the list price from recent comparable sales and price per square foot.

Long Beach Home Prices Over Time

C.A.R.'s county series shows how the median has moved over the past year:

Fourth quarter of 2025: $939,690
August 2026: $946,950
September 2026: a 5.0% rise in a single month

That monthly jump is larger than the full year-over-year gain, which shows why one month's change says little about direction. Year-over-year comparisons of the same month give a steadier read on whether prices are rising, flat or falling.

When tracking Long Beach over several years, such as 2021 and 2022 against 2026, use annual medians from that same single source.

How Long Beach Compares to Los Angeles County and California

Statewide prices are not dropping year over year. California's median home price was $899,720 in September 2026, up 1.7% from $884,390 in September 2025. It slipped 0.2% from $901,420 in August, a small monthly dip within a rising annual trend.

Los Angeles County sits well above the state median and gained a little less than the state over the year. C.A.R. reports existing single-family homes only, so any comparison with a Long Beach figure that includes condos is approximate. Condos pull a citywide median down.

Compare nearby coastal cities such as Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Santa Monica and Torrance using medians from the same source and month as the Long Beach figure.

Inventory, Days on Market and Mortgage Rates

Buyers need lender pre-approval before touring, because well-priced homes can go under contract between one weekend's showings and the next. Selling timelines from listing to closing, including escrow, vary with price, condition and the type of loan the buyer uses.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.24% as of October 29, 2026, down from 7.32% the prior week, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Rates change what a buyer can afford:

Loan amount: $795,736, which is 80% of the county median.
At the current rate: principal and interest run about $5,423 a month.
At 6.24%: the same loan costs about $4,894 a month, roughly $530 less.

A small shift in interest rates can push a buyer from a single-family search in East Long Beach toward a condo search downtown.

Down-payment assistance programs can lower the cash a buyer needs to close.

Income and Affordability in Long Beach

The median household income in Long Beach is $87,430 (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars), according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.

Here is how that income stacks up against a monthly payment, using the county median as the price:

Price and down payment: the county median, with an example 20% down payment of $198,934.
Principal and interest: the current-rate payment from the mortgage example above.
Property tax: each bill combines the 1% Proposition 13 base levy with voter-approved bonds for the property's Tax Rate Area. In most of Los Angeles County the total does not exceed 1.25% of assessed value, or about $830 to $1,040 a month here. Look up a specific home's rate by its parcel number.
Insurance and HOA dues: these add to the total and vary by property.

Before insurance, that comes to roughly $6,250 to $6,460 a month. The median household earns about $7,290 a month before taxes, so this payment would take roughly 86% to 89% of gross income.

C.A.R.'s Housing Affordability Index points the same way. In the fourth quarter of 2025, a buyer needed a minimum qualifying income of $230,400 for the county's median-priced single-family home that quarter, and 13% of county households could afford it. A lender can calculate exact debt-to-income ratios for a specific purchase.

Housing is the largest piece of the cost of living in Long Beach, though groceries, utilities and transportation also shape whether the city fits a budget. Home costs vary widely by price tier, so a condo or a smaller home changes this math considerably.

Commute and Location Factors That Affect Prices

The I-405 runs east-west directly through the city, while the I-710 offers a straight route north toward Downtown Los Angeles. The LA Metro A Line light rail serves Long Beach with stations including Downtown Long Beach, 1st Street, 5th Street, Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway and Wardlow. It runs 57.7 miles north to Downtown Los Angeles and on to Pasadena and Pomona.

Before making an offer, buyers should:

check noise and traffic from the Port of Long Beach and the Long Beach Airport
confirm a home's assigned Long Beach Unified School District school directly with the district
have a real estate professional verify exact zoning lines to prevent surprises during escrow

Long Beach Housing Market Predictions for 2027

The California Association of REALTORS® released its 2027 California Housing Market Forecast on October 7, 2026. It projects:

Sales: statewide existing single-family home sales rising 3.7% in 2027 to 277,900 units, up from a projected 268,100 in 2026.
Prices: the statewide median climbing 1.4% to $894,400 in 2027, after a projected 0.8% rise to $882,200 in 2026 from $875,600 in 2025.
Affordability: the statewide Housing Affordability Index holding at 20% in 2027, unchanged from its projected 2026 level.

This forecast covers California as a whole and does not break out Long Beach or the Los Angeles metro.

Several things would change the local outlook. Falling mortgage rates would bring more buyers back into the market and add competition. More listings would give buyers more choice and more room to negotiate. If inventory rises without matching buyer demand, prices would come under pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Long Beach Currently a Buyer's or Seller's Market?

It depends on current months of supply. Below about six months favors sellers. Above it, buyers can ask for price cuts, repairs or seller credits.

Are Home Prices Going Down in Long Beach?

Not year over year. County single-family prices were up slightly in September 2026 from a year earlier, and C.A.R.'s 2027 forecast expects statewide prices to keep rising modestly.

What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing the Long Beach Housing Market Right Now?

Affordability is the largest hurdle: the example payment on a county-median home takes most of the median household's gross income, and mortgage rates above 7% widen that gap. Limited inventory of move-in-ready homes keeps competition up on the best-priced listings.

Where Are the Lowest-Priced Homes in Long Beach for First-Time Buyers?

Downtown condos have the lowest entry point in the city, but HOA dues count toward the monthly budget and the lender's debt-to-income ratio, so add them before comparing a condo with a single-family home. Comparing Long Beach neighborhoods shows prices rising along the coast and for historic homes in Belmont Heights, while East Long Beach has single-family homes on larger lots.

Is 2026 a Good Time to Buy a House in Long Beach?

It depends on whether the monthly payment fits your budget and how long you plan to stay, since a longer stay spreads closing costs over more years. Prices are rising slowly rather than falling, so the mortgage rate is the bigger factor in monthly cost.

Why Do Long Beach Median Price Figures Differ From Site to Site?

Sites differ in four ways, and each choice moves the median:

median list price versus median sale price
all homes versus single-family homes only
monthly versus quarterly periods
city limits versus ZIP code boundaries

A median list price covers only homes currently for sale, so it shifts with whatever happens to be listed. A median sale price reflects contracts signed weeks earlier, so list prices often move first when the market turns.

Should I Wait Until 2027 to Sell My Long Beach Home?

C.A.R. expects only modest statewide price gains in 2027, while the mortgage, property taxes and upkeep keep adding up as you wait. If you also plan to buy in Long Beach, you face the same market conditions on the purchase side.