Huntington Beach vs. Newport Beach: Home Prices, Housing, and Costs Compared

Short answer: Newport Beach costs about 2.9 times as much. Over the twelve months through October 2026 the median closed sale was $3,849,900 in Newport Beach and $1,338,580 in Huntington Beach, and the median Newport Beach condo ($2,068,250) sold for more than the median Huntington Beach house ($1,570,000). Per square foot the gap is closer to two to one, $1,575 against $784, because Newport Beach homes are also larger.

In the video above, Katherine walks through how the two cities feel day to day: Newport Beach is built around its harbor, with boating, Balboa Island and the Peninsula, Fashion Island, and Corona del Mar; Huntington Beach, Surf City USA, has the pier, Main Street, the beach bike path, fire rings, and nearly ten miles of sand. The rest of this page is the numbers behind that choice: what homes sell for in each city, how the two markets have moved since 2000, houses against condos, what the housing stock looks like, how fast homes sell, what the median home costs each month at this week's rate, and what renting costs. Hover or tap any chart for the exact figures.

Home prices in Huntington Beach vs. Newport Beach

Huntington Beach closed 1,462 sales in the twelve months through October 2026, Newport Beach 981. One sale in four in Huntington Beach closed under $918,498 and 28% of sales closed under $1 million. In Newport Beach one in four closed under $2,350,000, only 4% closed under $1 million, and 73% closed above $2.5 million (Huntington Beach: 11%). The top quarter of each market starts at $1,797,250 in Huntington Beach and $6,225,000 in Newport Beach.

The two cities have not always been this far apart. In January 2000 the typical home was worth $667,945 in Newport Beach and $291,376 in Huntington Beach, a gap of $376,569. In July 2026 it was $3,724,083 against $1,367,647, a gap of $2,356,436. Newport Beach has multiplied 5.6 times since 2000 and Huntington Beach 4.7 times, so the ratio between them widened from about 2.3 to 2.7, and it was still 2.4 in July 2020: most of the widening is from the last six years. Both cities fell hard after 2006, Newport Beach by 29% from peak to trough and Huntington Beach by 32%.

Houses vs. condos in each city

Condos and townhomes were 34% of Huntington Beach sales and 31% of Newport Beach sales. The median house sold for $1,570,000 in Huntington Beach ($854 a square foot) and $4,900,000 in Newport Beach ($1,700); the median condo for $780,000 ($685) and $2,068,250 ($1,192). A buyer who wants Newport Beach at a Huntington Beach house budget is shopping for a condo, and at a Huntington Beach condo budget has very few Newport Beach options at all: one sale in ten there closed under $1,430,000.

Since January 2012 Newport Beach houses have multiplied 3.1 times and its condos 3.1 times; Huntington Beach houses 2.7 times and condos 2.4 times. In both cities condos and houses have moved roughly together, so the condo discount is a feature of each market rather than a trend.

What the housing stock looks like

Huntington Beach is the bigger city by a wide margin: 191,498 residents and 83,585 housing units against 82,306 and 45,161 in Newport Beach as of January 2026. The mix of housing is more alike than the prices suggest: single-family detached homes are 47% of Huntington Beach units and 45% of Newport Beach units, and buildings of five or more units are about a quarter of each. Two differences matter to buyers. Huntington Beach has 2,951 mobile homes, and its manufactured-home communities are a lower-cost way into a coastal city (see the Huntington Beach guide and what Orange County mobile homes sell for against condos). And 14.7% of Newport Beach units were counted vacant on January 1 against 5.2% in Huntington Beach; the census counts seasonal and second homes as vacant, so that figure is mostly a measure of how many Newport Beach homes are not anyone's primary residence. Huntington Beach has also added more housing, 5,582 units since 2010 against 968.

How fast homes sell, and how close to asking

Huntington Beach is the quicker and tighter market. Over the twelve months through October 2026 the median Huntington Beach sale took 49 days from listing to closing and the median Newport Beach sale 63; Redfin's count of days to an accepted offer tells the same story, 46 days against 67 (twelve months through May 2026). Huntington Beach sellers got 99.6% of their final list price at the median and 29% of sales closed above list; Newport Beach sellers got 97.2%, with 12% above list and 72% below. Redfin put supply at 2.7 months of inventory in Huntington Beach and 4.6 in Newport Beach. None of this says one city is a bad place to sell; it says Newport Beach pricing leaves more room to negotiate, which matters to how a seller sets the list price and to how a buyer writes an offer.

What the median home costs each month

At this week's 7.24% rate with 20% down, the median Huntington Beach sale carries a housing payment of about $8,915 a month, which lenders would want backed by roughly $382,000 of household income; the median Newport Beach sale about $25,642 a month and roughly $1,099,000. The down payments alone are $267,716 and $769,980. The rate in the ribbon at the top of the page updates weekly and these figures move with it.

Those are medians. Try your own income and down payment in the Orange County affordability calculator, which places your price on a map of every Orange County city, or see how much income each city takes.

Renting in Huntington Beach vs. Newport Beach

The rent gap is much smaller than the price gap. Zillow's typical asking rent in July 2026 was $4,267 a month in Newport Beach and $3,076 in Huntington Beach, a difference of $1,191, while the homes themselves differ by $2,356,436. Since January 2015 rents have risen 108% in Newport Beach and 71% in Huntington Beach. For an owner, that is why a Newport Beach rental is a harder cash-flow case than a Huntington Beach one at today's prices; for a renter, it is why renting in Newport Beach costs far less relative to buying than it does in Huntington Beach.

Short-term rentals are limited in both cities (rules as of September 2026). Huntington Beach: Hosted (owner-occupied) rentals allowed with a permit in eligible zones; unhosted rentals only in Sunset Beach with a permit issued before March 2022. Annual renewal; TOT 10% plus tourism assessment. Newport Beach: Allowed in R-1.5, R-2, RM, and some mixed-use zones with a short-term lodging permit; citywide cap of 1,550 permits with a waitlist; permits are not transferable. TOT 10%. The Orange County market page has the rental rules for every city on a map, with the long-term rent rules alongside.

Which city fits your search

• Budget sets the city more than preference does. Under about $918,498, Huntington Beach has a quarter of its sales and Newport Beach has almost none. Between $1 million and $2.5 million both cities have real choices: a house in Huntington Beach or a condo in Newport Beach.
• Decide house or condo first. The condo discount is similar in both cities, but a Newport Beach condo and a Huntington Beach house cost about the same, so the housing type is the real trade-off at that budget.
• Harbor living exists in both. Newport Harbor is the larger one, but Huntington Harbour has channel-front homes with private docks inside Huntington Beach.
• Expect a different negotiation. Huntington Beach homes sell faster and closer to list; Newport Beach sales close further below asking and take longer, so list pricing and offer strategy differ.
• Second homes are part of Newport Beach. The high January vacancy count means a share of Newport Beach housing is seasonal or occasional-use, which shapes which homes come to market and when.

Katherine is based in Huntington Beach and works across the coast; if you are weighing the two, she can pull the recent sales at your budget in both cities so the comparison is between real homes rather than medians. The Huntington Beach and Newport Beach neighborhood guides cover the areas within each city.

Common questions

Is Newport Beach more expensive than Huntington Beach?

Yes, by about 2.9 times at the median sale ($3,849,900 against $1,338,580) and about 2.0 times per square foot ($1,575 against $784), in the twelve months through October 2026.

Can you buy in Newport Beach for under $1 million?

Rarely: 4% of Newport Beach sales closed under $1 million in the last twelve months, nearly all of them condos, and one sale in ten closed under $1,430,000. In Huntington Beach 28% of sales closed under $1 million.

Which city has more condos?

By share of sales they are close: condos and townhomes were 34% of Huntington Beach sales and 31% of Newport Beach sales. Huntington Beach has far more homes of every kind, 83,585 units against 45,161.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in each city?

Renting is far cheaper than buying in both at today's rate, and the gap is widest in Newport Beach: typical rent is $4,267 a month against a housing payment of about $25,642 on the median sale. In Huntington Beach it is $3,076 against about $8,915. Buying also builds equity and fixes the loan payment, so the comparison depends on how long you stay and on what prices and rents do in the meantime.

Method and limits

• Sale prices, price per square foot, days on market, and sale-to-list are medians of closed sales (houses, condos, and townhomes) for the twelve months ending October 2026, from CRMLS closings via Seven Gables Real Estate, with Corona del Mar and Newport Coast counted in Newport Beach. Days on market here is listing to closing; sale-to-list compares the closing price with the final list price, not the original one.
• Days to an accepted offer, months of supply, and price drops are Redfin Data Center city figures, medians of the monthly values for the twelve months through May 2026. Data provided by Redfin, a national real estate brokerage.
• Home values and rents over time are the Zillow Home Value Index (middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted) and Zillow Observed Rent Index by city, through July 2026. They are modeled typical values, not sale prices, so they do not match the CRMLS medians exactly.
• Housing stock is the California Department of Finance E-5 estimate for January 1, 2026, with 2010 from the E-8 series.
• Monthly cost uses this week's Freddie Mac 30-year average, 20% down, property tax at 1.1% of the purchase price, insurance at 0.35% a year, and no HOA dues or Mello-Roos; it is an illustration, not a loan quote.
• Rental rules are summarized from city codes and published summaries as of September 2026; confirm with the city before buying to rent.

Data: CRMLS closed sales via Seven Gables Real Estate, through October 2026 (information deemed reliable but not guaranteed); Redfin Data Center, through May 2026; Zillow Research ZHVI and ZORI, through July 2026; California Department of Finance E-5, January 2026; Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey via FRED, week of October 29, 2026; Orange County REALTORS® and city websites for rental rules. General information, not lending, tax, or legal advice.