Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Living in Santa Monica, Los Angeles
Beachside paradise with the iconic pier, Third Street Promenade, and perfect weather year-round.
A one-bedroom in Santa Monica rents for about $3,200 - $3,700/month — a safe area (safety 4/5), roughly 40 minutes from Los Angeles center by car.
Commute to Center
40 min
car
Safety Rating
4/5
SafeVibe
beachupscalewellness
Rent in Santa Monica
Monthly rent in USD ($). First-hand contracts come straight from the landlord or housing company. Second-hand contracts are sublets, and they usually cost more.
| Apartment Size | First-Hand Rent | Second-Hand Rent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bedroom | $2,800 - $3,200/mo | $3,200 - $3,700/mo |
| 2 Bedrooms | $3,500 - $4,000/mo | $4,000 - $4,600/mo |
| 3 Bedrooms | $4,500 - $5,500/mo | $5,200 - $6,300/mo |
How Santa Monica compares in Los Angeles
Within AffordWhere's Los Angeles dataset, a one-bedroom here averages about $3,450/month — roughly 23% above the city median, and among the pricier of the 9 areas we track. Two-bedrooms run $4,000 - $4,600/month and three-bedrooms $5,200 - $6,300/month on second-hand contracts. At 40 minutes to the center by car, it sits farther out than most Los Angeles areas in the set. On safety it rates 4/5, around the middle in the city. Based on its rent, commute, and the beach, upscale, wellness tags, it may suit renters weighing rent against commute.
Weighing options? For cheaper rent, see Long Beach. For a shorter commute, see Downtown LA.
Rent figures reflect official statistics compiled January 2026. See data sources.
Getting around & nearby amenities
OpenStreetMap maps Metro E Line as the nearest light rail stop, Reed Park as nearby green space and Vons as the nearest supermarket around the Santa Monica reference point. A school and a pharmacy are also mapped within walking distance. It also shows a large number of cafés and restaurants mapped within about 700m of that point.
Amenity data from OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). The extracted amenity dataset is published under the same license.
Questions people actually ask
- How much is rent in Santa Monica, Los Angeles?
- A 1-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica costs $3,200 - $3,700/month (second-hand contract) or $2,800 - $3,200/month (first-hand). A 2-bedroom ranges from $4,000 - $4,600/month, and a 3-bedroom from $5,200 - $6,300/month.
- Is Santa Monica safe for expats?
- Santa Monica has a safety rating of 4/5 (Safe) on our scale. That is one of the higher ratings on the 1-5 scale; as always, check specific streets and visit at different times before signing a lease.
- How long is the commute from Santa Monica to Los Angeles center?
- The commute from Santa Monica to Los Angeles city center takes approximately 40 minutes by car.
- What is Santa Monica like to live in?
- Beachside paradise with the iconic pier, Third Street Promenade, and perfect weather year-round. In our data it is tagged as beach, upscale, wellness.
Other neighborhoods in Los Angeles
Downtown LA
5 min metro to center
1BR from $2,700/mo
urbanartsynightlife
Silver Lake
20 min car to center
1BR from $2,500/mo
hipstercreativecafes
Venice
35 min car to center
1BR from $3,000/mo
bohemianbeacheclectic
Pasadena
30 min metro to center
1BR from $2,500/mo
historicsuburbancultural
Culver City
30 min metro to center
1BR from $2,700/mo
creativetech-adjacentwalkable
Long Beach
45 min metro to center
1BR from $2,100/mo
beachaffordablediverse
Koreatown
15 min metro to center
1BR from $2,200/mo
foodienightlifeaffordable
Highland Park
25 min metro to center
1BR from $2,200/mo
trendyartsygentrifying
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