Which is cheaper, Woodbridge or Northwood?

Northwood, for a house. In September 2026 its pre-1990 houses asked about $1 million to $2.6 million, while most Woodbridge houses were listed at about $1.65 million to $1.9 million. Northwood condos started under $400,000 for a studio. Woodbridge listings started at about $735,000 for a two-bedroom townhome, and its condos mostly asked $800,000 to $1.35 million.

Does Woodbridge or Northwood have lower HOA dues?

Often Northwood, because many of its houses have no HOA at all. Ten of the 24 pre-1990 Northwood houses listed in September 2026 showed no dues, though the condo tracts and Northwood Pointe have associations. In Woodbridge every owner pays the Woodbridge Village Association: detached houses mostly showed $147 to $157 a month, and condos and townhomes with a sub-association about $300 to $690.

Can Northwood residents use the Woodbridge lakes and lagoons?

Only as a Woodbridge resident's guest. The lakes, lagoons and beach clubs belong to the Woodbridge Village Association and are for residents and their guests, up to five per household without extra fees. Mike Ward Community Park, the 22-acre city park on Lake Road with eight lighted pickleball courts, is open to everyone.

Which has newer homes, Woodbridge or Northwood?

They're close in age. Woodbridge went up from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, and its September 2026 listings were built from 1976 to 1996. More than 60 percent of Northwood's homes were built from 1977 to 1979, and Northwood Pointe, north of Irvine Boulevard, added houses in the late 1990s. Most houses in both are 40 to 50 years old, so the inspection and the remodel history matter.

Which is closer to UC Irvine and John Wayne Airport, Woodbridge or Northwood?

Woodbridge. It's in the middle of the city, about 4 miles in a straight line from UC Irvine, John Wayne Airport and the Irvine Spectrum. From Northwood Town Center it's about 8.5 miles by road to UC Irvine and 9.8 to the airport. Northwood has the 261 toll road just northwest and the Tustin Metrolink station about 4.2 miles away.

Is there freeway noise in Woodbridge or Northwood?

Yes, on the south edge of both. The 405 runs along Woodbridge's south side and Interstate 5 along Northwood's. Streets near the freeway are close to an on-ramp but noisier, so I walk the block at rush hour before a client writes an offer there.

Woodbridge vs Northwood, Irvine: Compared

Q: Do Woodbridge and Northwood have Mello-Roos?

Not necessarily in either village, so check the parcel. Woodbridge isn't on the City of Irvine's list of Mello-Roos and assessment districts, though school-district special taxes are listed separately. Northwood's core tracts were built before the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982. In both, the county property tax bill for the exact parcel is the only reliable answer.

Woodbridge or Northwood? The short answer.

Woodbridge if you want lagoons, pools and seven schools inside the village; Northwood if you want a lower monthly bill and houses that start around $1 million. Woodbridge is the Irvine Company's lake village in the middle of the city, where every owner pays master dues for two swim lagoons, 22 pools and 23 tennis courts. In September 2026 its listings started at about $735,000 for a townhome, and most houses asked about $1.65 million to $1.9 million. Northwood is the north Irvine village of late-1970s tracts by independent builders, with old eucalyptus along the streets, and many of its houses pay no HOA dues. Its pre-1990 houses asked about $1 million to $2.6 million. Both are Irvine Unified.

See them for yourself.

North Lake and its landmark pavilion in Woodbridge — WoodbridgeNorth Lake, the heart of the northern half of the village

A calm blue reservoir curves between willows and scrub, with tile-roofed homes, trees and brown mountains beyond — NorthwoodUpper Peters Canyon Reservoir, in the regional park a few miles north of Northwood

Vertical view through tree branches to South Lake, with a park bench, rounded boulders and ornamental grasses on the shore — WoodbridgeA bench, boulders and shade on the South Lake shore in Woodbridge

Red, pink and yellow roses in front of a lawn, a white gazebo and a tunnel-shaped arch of ivy under a blue sky — NorthwoodRoses and an ivy arch at Irvine Ranch Historic Park, northwest of Northwood

The fountain on South Lake in Woodbridge, Irvine — WoodbridgeThe South Lake fountain, the village's other water heart

A green lake with a small fountain and a white gazebo, ringed by tall eucalyptus and willows under a clear sky — NorthwoodThe lake at Heritage Park in El Camino Real, just south of Northwood

Live from the MLS

Woodbridge vs Northwood by the numbers.

Northwood asks 48% more than Woodbridge.

Woodbridge$823

Northwood$799

$795Irvine

Homes for sale in Northwood are 38% bigger than in Woodbridge.

Woodbridge1,384 sq ft

Northwood1,915 sq ft

All of Irvine2,052 sq ft

Listings in Woodbridge have been on the market 9 days longer than in Northwood.

The price scale and the gauge run from one end of the Irvine neighborhoods we cover to the other. Each bar on the price per square foot card is one of them, lowest asking price first. Gray always marks the median for all of Irvine. Right now Woodbridge has 16 homes for sale and Northwood has 88. Asking prices for homes on the market right now inside each mapped area, not sale prices.

Updated October 3, 2026, 5:00 PM PT

Which one fits you?

Woodbridge 3Northwood 4

Woodbridge

Lagoons and pools

Every Woodbridge owner shares two private lakes, two swim lagoons with slides and lifeguards, 22 pools and 23 tennis courts. Northwood has two long trails and a 17.7-acre city park instead.

Woodbridge

Schools a walk away

Seven Irvine Unified campuses sit inside Woodbridge, from four elementary schools to Woodbridge High. Northwood is Irvine Unified too, served by four elementary schools, Sierra Vista Middle and Northwood High on Portola Parkway.

Woodbridge

Central location

Woodbridge is in the middle of Irvine, about 4 miles in a straight line from the Irvine Spectrum, UC Irvine and John Wayne Airport. From Northwood Town Center it's about 5.6 miles by road to the Spectrum and 9.8 to the airport.

Northwood

Lower monthly bill

Many Northwood houses pay no HOA dues: 10 of the 24 pre-1990 houses listed in September 2026 showed none. Every Woodbridge home pays master dues, mostly $147 to $157 a month for a house, and most condos and townhomes pay sub-association dues on top.

Northwood

Lower house prices

In September 2026 Northwood's pre-1990 houses asked about $1 million to $2.6 million. Most Woodbridge houses were listed at about $1.65 million to $1.9 million, and the top listing was near $2.8 million.

Northwood

Cheapest way in

Northwood condos started under $400,000 for a studio in September 2026, and manufactured homes on Irvine Boulevard asked about $475,000 to $640,000. Woodbridge listings started at about $735,000 for a two-bedroom townhome.

Northwood

Trails and old trees

Century-old eucalyptus windrows from the Irvine Ranch line Northwood's streets, and the 3.7-mile Venta Spur Trail and the Hicks Canyon Trail run through and along it. In Woodbridge you walk the greenbelt paths and the path around the lakes.

Compare the details.

Red honeysuckle flowers fill the foreground; across the water stands a row of white two-story lakefront homes under a blue sky

Woodbridge

The Irvine village built around two lakes, where the first homes went by lottery in 1976

Median asking $1.1M

See homes Read the Woodbridge guide

Snow-covered mountain peaks under white clouds rise above green foothills, tile-roofed homes and leafy trees

Northwood

The village the Irvine Company didn't build, with late-1970s tracts under century-old eucalyptus windrows

Median asking $1.63M

See homes Read the Northwood guide

Homes and lots
	Woodbridge	Northwood
What it is	Irvine Company lake village in central Irvine, started in 1975; ZIPs 92604 and 92614	North Irvine village of independent builders' tracts, the one the Irvine Company didn't build; ZIP 92620
Era of homes	Late 1970s to mid-1990s; September 2026 listings built 1976 to 1996	More than 60% built 1977 to 1979; Northwood Pointe added in the late 1990s
Housing mix	Most listings are condos and townhomes; houses on small lots; lakefront houses at the top of the market	Single-family tracts on flat lots; condo and townhome tracts; newer Northwood Pointe houses
Asked (Sept 2026)	Townhomes from about $735K; condos mostly $800K to $1.35M; most houses about $1.65M to $1.9M, top near $2.8M	Pre-1990 houses about $1M to $2.6M; condos from under $400K to about $1.2M; Northwood Pointe about $1.6M to $3.75M
HOA dues (Sept 2026 listings)	Master dues on every home: houses mostly $147 to $157 a month; condos and townhomes about $300 to $690 with a sub-association	Many houses pay none (10 of 24 pre-1990 listings); condo tracts and Northwood Pointe have associations

Daily life
	Woodbridge	Northwood
Schools (Irvine Unified)	Seven campuses inside: four elementary, Lakeside and South Lake middle, Woodbridge High	Northwood, Brywood, Santiago Hills and Canyon View elementary; Sierra Vista Middle; Northwood High
Shared recreation	Two private lakes, two swim lagoons, 22 pools, 23 tennis courts; residents and guests only	Venta Spur and Hicks Canyon trails and a 17.7-acre city park
Freeway and distances	405 on the south edge; Spectrum, UC Irvine and John Wayne Airport each about 4 miles in a straight line	I-5 on the south edge, 261 toll road just northwest; about 5.6 miles by road to the Spectrum, 9.8 to the airport

Rules and risks
	Woodbridge	Northwood
Mello-Roos	Not on the city's Mello-Roos and assessment list; school-district taxes are listed separately, so check the tax bill	Core tracts predate the 1982 Mello-Roos Act, so it isn't a given; check the tax bill
Fire hazard (2025 map)	Outside any zone at every point we checked	Outside any zone at all 74 points we checked; the 2020 Silverado Fire forced evacuations in north Irvine

How each village was built

The Irvine Company planned Woodbridge, while independent builders put up most of Northwood.

North Lake at dusk with a lit pyramid-roofed pavilion and shoreline lights reflected in still water, a thin crescent moon above — Photo: woolennium, CC BY 2.0

Woodbridge is the village most people picture when they think of Irvine. The Irvine Company started it in 1975 in the middle of the city, and when the first 350 homes went on sale in 1976, about 10,000 people entered a lottery for them. The plan split it into four quadrants, gave each small neighborhood its own park, and aimed to keep every resident within a five-minute walk of a park, a pool or a lake. Today the Woodbridge Village Association counts 9,639 homes, and every owner is a member.

Northwood is the one Irvine village the Irvine Company didn't build. In the 1970s a single developer organized about 23 former ranch parcels under the Northwood name, and more than 60 percent of the homes went up between 1977 and 1979, when 66 models across 18 tracts were on sale at once. Floor plans change from tract to tract, and the ranch's century-old eucalyptus windrows were kept. It's also the only Irvine village not fully governed by homeowners associations.

That history explains most of the differences below. In Woodbridge you buy into one big association with shared lakes and pools. In Northwood, whether you'll have an association at all depends on the tract.

Homes and asking prices

Most Woodbridge listings are condos and townhomes, and Northwood's original houses start lower.

A dirt trail runs beside a rope fence and blooming yellow mustard in warm morning sun, with two walkers far ahead — Photo: Tony Nungaray, CC BY-SA 2.0

Most of Woodbridge went up between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s, and September 2026 listings were built from 1976 to 1996. Condos and townhomes made up most of the active listings. Detached houses on small lots around the parks were scarcer, and the lakefront houses, some with decks over the water, are the most expensive.

Northwood's core is late-1970s single-family tracts on flat former farmland, and many of those houses have been remodeled or expanded since. Condo and townhome tracts with their own associations are the cheapest way in. North of Irvine Boulevard, the Irvine Company added Northwood Pointe in the late 1990s, with newer, generally larger houses and its own association.

As of September 25, 2026, Woodbridge listings started at about $735,000 for a two-bedroom townhome, condos mostly asked $800,000 to $1.35 million, detached houses about $1.65 million to $1.9 million, and the top listing was near $2.8 million. In Northwood, the 24 houses for sale that were built before 1990 asked about $1 million to $2.6 million, condos ran from under $400,000 for a studio to about $1.2 million for a three-bedroom, and Northwood Pointe houses were listed at about $1.6 million to $3.75 million. These are asking prices from that date; the live numbers on this page are more current.

In Woodbridge, two homes that look alike on paper can be far apart in price depending on the remodel, and a lot on the water or a greenbelt draws more interest than one on a busy street. In Northwood, the houses came from many different builders and have been remodeled unevenly since, so I pull the city's permit history for any addition before we write an offer.

Woodbridge: townhomes from about $735,000; most houses about $1.65M to $1.9M (Sept 2026)
Northwood: pre-1990 houses about $1M to $2.6M; condos from under $400,000 (Sept 2026)
Northwood Pointe, the late-1990s part of Northwood: about $1.6M to $3.75M

Dues, Mello-Roos and the tax bill

Northwood is often cheaper month to month, but it depends on the tract.

Canada geese swim on turquoise lake water past a small sandy beach, a clubhouse and tall autumn trees under white clouds — Photo: Jim Strasma, Unsplash License

Every Woodbridge owner pays the Woodbridge Village Association, which runs the lakes, lagoons, pools and courts. On September 2026 listings, detached houses mostly showed $147 to $157 a month. Condos and townhomes usually also have a sub-association for their own tract, and their listed dues ran about $300 to $690, so a Woodbridge condo comes with two sets of association documents to read.

Much of Northwood has no homeowners association. Of the 24 pre-1990 houses listed in September 2026, 10 showed no HOA dues. The condo tracts and Northwood Pointe do have associations, and so do some other tracts, so read each listing's tract details before you assume there are no dues.

On special taxes, Woodbridge isn't on the City of Irvine's list of Mello-Roos and assessment districts, but school-district special taxes are listed separately. Northwood's core tracts were built before the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982, so that tax isn't a given there either. In both, the county tax bill for the exact parcel settles it, and I read it before we write an offer.

Woodbridge: master dues on every home, plus sub-association dues on most condos and townhomes
Northwood: 10 of 24 pre-1990 houses listed in September 2026 showed no HOA dues
Both: read the county tax bill for the exact parcel

Schools, freeways and hazard maps

A lit fountain spills water into a pool at night, with palm trees wrapped in string lights and restaurant patios behind — Photo: mliu92, CC BY-SA 2.0

Both villages are Irvine Unified. Woodbridge has seven campuses inside its borders: Stone Creek, Eastshore, Meadow Park and Springbrook elementary schools, Lakeside and South Lake middle schools, and Woodbridge High. Northwood is served by Northwood, Brywood, Santiago Hills and Canyon View elementary schools, Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High on Portola Parkway, which the state named a California Distinguished School in 2024. IUSD assigns by attendance area and can place new students elsewhere when a campus is full, so run the exact address through its School Locator.

Woodbridge is the more central of the two. The Irvine Spectrum, UC Irvine and John Wayne Airport are each about 4 miles away in a straight line, and the 405 runs along its south edge. Northwood has Interstate 5 on its south edge, with interchanges at Culver Drive and Jeffrey Road, and the 261 toll road meets Portola Parkway just northwest. From Northwood Town Center it's about 5.6 miles by road to the Spectrum, 9.8 to John Wayne Airport and 4.2 to the Tustin Metrolink station. In both, you can hear the freeway on the streets closest to it, so I walk the block at rush hour before a client writes an offer there.

On the 2025 fire map Irvine adopted, none of the points we checked in either village fell in a hazard zone. Even so, wildfire has come close to Northwood: in October 2020 the Silverado Fire moved south from Loma Ridge toward Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs, and about 90,000 people in the area were under mandatory evacuation orders. FEMA maps the Northwood streets we sampled as Zone X, minimal flood hazard. Look up any address in either village on FEMA's flood map before you open escrow.

Homes for sale in Woodbridge

16 active listings in the mapped area

11 days on market

$1,350,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,749 sqft

471 E Yale

17 days on market

$1,050,000

Condo2 bd2 ba1,000 sqft

49 Summerfield 99

23 days on market

$1,288,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,580 sqft

32 Spinnaker

36 days on market

$1,098,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,384 sqft

194 Greenmoor

39 days on market

$920,000

Condo3 bd2 ba1,260 sqft

59 Fox Hollow

45 days on market

$949,900

Condo2 bd3 ba1,176 sqft

152 Greenmoor 64

46 days on market

$798,000

Condo2 bd1 ba832 sqft

549 N Springbrook N

46 days on market

$1,855,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba1,887 sqft

24 Whitecloud

59 days on market

$1,100,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,384 sqft

93 Goldenrod

60 days on market

$849,000

Condo2 bd2 ba949 sqft

72 Greenmoor 36

Pool

$1,660,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba1,900 sqft

44 Silkberry

Pool

$1,998,880

Townhouse4 bd3 ba2,281 sqft

11 Thunder Trail 6

Waterfront

$2,790,000

Townhouse3 bd3 ba2,320 sqft

70 Fairlake

Pool

$2,785,000

Single-Family4 bd4 ba3,435 sqft

57 Emerald

Pool

$1,100,000

Condo2 bd2 ba1,323 sqft

492 E Yale Loop

Pool

$799,900

Townhouse2 bd2 ba1,227 sqft

41 Fallingstar 28

See Woodbridge homes on the live map

Still deciding? Ask me.

I’m a Realtor based in Long Beach, and Irvine is one of the cities I work most. Tell me what you’re after and I’ll help you get there.

Call (424) 400-9003

Slava Ploshkin · DRE #02323623English and Russian · How I work in Irvine

Homes for sale in Northwood

88 active listings in the mapped area

Just listed

$599,000

Manufactured In Park2 bd2 ba1,790 sqft

5200 Irvine Boulevard 271

Just listed

$1,700,000

Condo4 bd3 ba1,907 sqft

83 Henson

Just listed

$1,790,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba2,366 sqft

56 Monticello

Just listed

$1,830,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba2,109 sqft

7 Bowditch

Just listed

$1,577,986

Single-Family3 bd3 ba1,915 sqft

9 Delamesa W

Just listed

$1,818,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba2,550 sqft

13672 Typee

Just listed

$1,950,000

Single-Family5 bd5 ba2,586 sqft

4 Carson

9 days on market

$2,390,000

Single-Family4 bd4 ba2,502 sqft

116 Mistletoe

9 days on market

$2,049,000

Single-Family4 bd4 ba2,264 sqft

104 Quill

9 days on market

$2,080,000

Condo4 bd3 ba2,217 sqft

106 Fisher

9 days on market

$2,999,000

Single-Family5 bd5 ba3,616 sqft

24 Antique Rose

10 days on market

$4,388,000

Single-Family6 bd6 ba5,100 sqft

32 Canyonwood

10 days on market

$679,000

Condo2 bd2 ba987 sqft

391 Huntington

11 days on market

$2,500,000

Single-Family6 bd4 ba2,708 sqft

20 wedgewood

11 days on market

$1,300,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba1,350 sqft

16 Wadsworth

14 days on market

$898,000

Condo2 bd1 ba1,270 sqft

418 Timberwood

View all 88 homes on the live map

Questions & answers

Woodbridge, if you want schools and pools inside the village; Northwood, if you'd rather keep the monthly bill down. Woodbridge has seven Irvine Unified campuses within its borders, including Woodbridge High, and every home shares two swim lagoons and 22 pools through the association. Northwood is Irvine Unified too, with Northwood High, and it has the Venta Spur and Hicks Canyon trails and a 17.7-acre park with a children's fort. Many of its houses pay no HOA dues.

Irvine Unified serves both. Woodbridge has seven campuses inside: Stone Creek, Eastshore, Meadow Park and Springbrook elementary schools, Lakeside and South Lake middle schools, and Woodbridge High. Northwood is served by Northwood, Brywood, Santiago Hills and Canyon View elementary schools, Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High, which opened in 1999. Assignments go by address, and when a campus is full the district can place new students elsewhere, so check IUSD's School Locator.

Neither, on Irvine's current map. On the 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, effective July 23, 2025, every point we checked in both villages came back outside any zone. Even so, wildfire has come close to Northwood: in October 2020 the Silverado Fire moved south from Loma Ridge toward Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs, and about 90,000 people in the area were under mandatory evacuation orders.

In Woodbridge, the association documents. Most condos and townhomes have a master association and a sub-association, and I go through both with you before your contingencies run out. In Northwood, check whether the tract has an HOA at all, read the county tax bill and pull the city's permit history for any addition. For a house that's close to 50 years old, I also add a camera inspection of the sewer line.