Which is cheaper, Venice or Ocean Park?

Ocean Park is cheaper at the low end, though the ranges overlap. On September 25, 2026, Ocean Park condos were listed at about $613,000 to $2.4 million and its 8 houses at about $1.2 million to $4.2 million. Venice condos were listed at about $740,000 to $7 million, mostly $1 million to $2 million, and most Venice houses at about $2.4 million to $4.5 million.

Is Ocean Park part of Venice or Santa Monica?

Santa Monica. Ocean Park is the city's southwest corner, from the beach to Lincoln Boulevard and from Pico Boulevard south to the Los Angeles line, and Venice starts across that line. The names do get confusing: the town that became Venice incorporated as Ocean Park in 1904, renamed itself Venice in 1911, and joined Los Angeles in 1925.

Can you walk from Ocean Park to Venice?

Yes. Main Street and the beach bike path run straight through both. Going the other way, the bike path runs north from Ocean Park to the Santa Monica Pier, a bit under a mile from the foot of Ocean Park Boulevard.

Can you get a residential parking permit in Venice or Ocean Park?

On many Ocean Park streets, yes; in Venice, generally no. Many Ocean Park side streets are in Santa Monica's preferential permit parking zones, so check the rules for the block. Venice's Land Use Plan only allows permit districts if every public parking space they take away is replaced one for one, which has kept them out. That's why the garage and alley access matter more in Venice.

Do you need a coastal permit to remodel in Venice or Ocean Park?

Often in Venice, sometimes in Ocean Park. Venice has no certified Local Coastal Program, so most new houses, major remodels and many ADUs need a coastal development permit or exemption, and projects near the beach also need Coastal Commission approval. Nearly all of Ocean Park is in the Coastal Zone too, and larger projects there may need a coastal permit on top of city building permits.

Do planes from Santa Monica Airport fly over Ocean Park?

Some do. The city says planes take off to the west about 95% of the time, then are asked to turn north at the shoreline or south at Lincoln, and the ones turning north head up the coast past Ocean Park. The city plans to close the airport at midnight on December 31, 2028.

How crowded does Venice get?

Very crowded near the sand on summer weekends. The city says Venice Beach gets over ten million visitors a year, and within a few blocks of the boardwalk or Abbot Kinney that shows up as strangers parking on your street and noise into the evening. A few blocks inland, or on the canals, it gets quiet fast.

What's the homelessness situation in Venice?

It has improved on some blocks and is still visible on others. The city expanded its anti-camping law in 2021 and 2022, and in January 2023 the Inside Safe program moved close to 100 people from a Venice encampment into shelter. The citywide 2026 count rose 3.4%, while the Westside council district was reported down. Before you buy, go see the block after dark.

Venice vs Santa Monica's Ocean Park: Compared

Venice or Ocean Park? The short answer.

Venice if you want a house, especially on a canal or a walk street; Ocean Park if you want a condo or a small cottage near Main Street and the sand, and you'd rather be in Santa Monica. They sit side by side on the same beach, but Venice is in the City of Los Angeles and Ocean Park is in Santa Monica, so the rent control law, the school district, building permits and street parking are all different. On September 25, 2026, most Venice houses for sale were asking about $2.4 million to $4.5 million. Ocean Park had 8 houses asking about $1.2 million to $4.2 million and 24 condos from about $613,000 to $2.4 million.

See them for yourself.

A white arched footbridge over a Venice canal, with palm trees and houses along the water — VeniceOne of the arched footbridges over the canals

The beach at dusk with small waves, and the Santa Monica Pier and mountains in the distance — Ocean ParkDusk on the beach at Ocean Park, looking north to the Santa Monica Pier

A narrow paved footpath between hedges, white picket fences and pink bougainvillea, under a lamp post and leafy trees — VeniceA Venice walk street, where the houses face a garden path instead of a road

Tall fan palms on a green lawn against white clouds and blue sky, with white multistory condos behind and a path in front — Ocean ParkPalms on the lawn above the beach in Ocean Park, with beachfront condos behind

Palm trees and a basketball hoop in silhouette against an orange sunset at Venice Beach — VeniceSunset behind the palms and the courts at Venice Beach

Pink and orange sunset clouds over the ocean with a lifeguard tower in silhouette — Ocean ParkSunset over Santa Monica State Beach

Live from the MLS

Venice vs Ocean Park by the numbers.

Venice asks 48% more than Ocean Park.

Venice$1,104

Ocean Park$1,152

$660Los Angeles

Homes for sale in Venice are 61% bigger than in Ocean Park.

Venice2,411 sq ft

Ocean Park1,502 sq ft

All of Los Angeles1,850 sq ft

Listings in Venice and Ocean Park have been on the market about as long.

The price scale and the gauge run from one end of the 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 Los Angeles. Right now Venice has 262 homes for sale and Ocean Park has 38. Asking prices for homes on the market right now inside each mapped area, not sale prices.

Updated October 3, 2026, 7:00 PM PT

Which one fits you?

Venice 4Ocean Park 3

Venice

Canals and walk streets

Venice has 383 lots on six surviving canals and many walk streets, where houses face each other across a garden path and garages open onto the alley. Ocean Park has a few pedestrian paths to the sand but no grid of walk streets.

Venice

More houses to choose from

Venice has about 5,200 house parcels to Ocean Park's roughly 600. On September 25, 2026, 131 Venice houses were listed for sale, compared with 8 in Ocean Park.

Venice

Bigger house lots

The typical Venice house lot is about 4,200 square feet, and 43% are under 4,000. In Ocean Park the typical lot is about 3,400 square feet, and about 60% are under 4,000. Lots are small in both.

Ocean Park

Older beach cottages

According to county records, half of Ocean Park's roughly 600 houses were built in 1924 or earlier, many of them beach cottages and Craftsman bungalows, and the neighborhood has three small historic districts. In Venice about a third of the houses were built before 1940 and about one in eight in 2000 or later.

Ocean Park

Resident permit parking

Many Ocean Park side streets are in Santa Monica's preferential permit parking zones. Venice's Land Use Plan only allows permit districts if every public parking space they take is replaced one for one, which has kept them out.

Ocean Park

Fewer homes in a flood zone

About 950 of Venice's roughly 5,200 house parcels sit in FEMA zone AE around the canals, which depend on two tide gates. In Ocean Park the sand is zone VE and the inland streets I checked are zone X, though the state's tsunami hazard area covers the buildings nearest the beach.

Venice

Boardwalk and beach scene

Ocean Front Walk runs more than two miles, with Muscle Beach and the skatepark, and the city says Venice Beach gets over ten million visitors a year. That's the draw, and it's also why blocks near the sand get loud on summer weekends.

Compare the details.

Tall palm trees over a curving concrete plaza with skateboarders, under a partly cloudy sky, with shops and hotels behind

Venice

Small beach lots on canals and walk streets, inside the City of Los Angeles

Median asking $2.7M

See homes Read the Venice guide

A cluster of tall palms on wide pale sand beside a curving bike path, with the Santa Monica Pier and mountains in the distance

Ocean Park

Santa Monica's beach corner south of Pico Boulevard, with Main Street running through it

Median asking $1.82M

See homes Read the Ocean Park guide

Homes and lots
	Venice	Ocean Park
City and size	City of Los Angeles since 1925; about 3 sq mi	City of Santa Monica; about three-quarters of a square mile, including the beach
Housing mix	About 5,200 houses, 2,350 condo units and close to 11,000 apartments	About 600 houses, 1,500 condo units and 4,600 apartments; about 82% of households rent
Era of homes	About a third of houses built before 1940; about one in eight since 2000	Half of houses from 1924 or earlier, per county records; condos mostly 1960s to 1980s
Typical house lot	About 4,200 sq ft; 43% under 4,000	About 3,400 sq ft; about 60% under 4,000
Asked on Sept 25, 2026	Most houses about $2.4M to $4.5M; condos mostly $1M to $2M	8 houses about $1.2M to $4.2M; 24 condos about $613K to $2.4M

Daily life
	Venice	Ocean Park
School district	LAUSD: Westminster Avenue, Broadway, Coeur d'Alene and Walgrove elementaries; Mark Twain Middle; Venice High	SMMUSD: Ocean Park School House (TK-8), John Adams Middle, Santa Monica High
Street parking	No residential permit districts; a new house needs 2 spaces, 3 on the canals	Many side streets in preferential permit zones

Rules and risks
	Venice	Ocean Park
Rent rules on older apartments	LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance: generally rentals first built on or before Oct 1, 1978	Santa Monica rent control: units built before April 10, 1979; 2.6% increase for Sept 2026
Flood zones	Canals in FEMA zone AE (8 ft), about 950 house parcels; the sand is VE	Sand is VE; inland streets checked are zone X; tsunami area covers the buildings nearest the beach
Coastal permits	Coastal Zone covers everything west of Lincoln; no certified Local Coastal Program, so most building work needs a coastal permit	Nearly all of it is in the Coastal Zone; bigger projects may need a coastal permit

Venice is in LA and Ocean Park is in Santa Monica

Main Street and the beach bike path run through both, but rent control, schools, permits and parking change at the city line.

A skateboarder in the air over the Venice Skatepark bowls at sunset, with people watching from the rim — Photo: Shinichiro Ichimura, Unsplash License

Ocean Park is the southwest corner of Santa Monica, from the sand to Lincoln Boulevard and from Pico Boulevard south to the Los Angeles line. Venice starts on the other side of that line and covers about 3 square miles, inland to Walgrove Avenue and Lincoln and south to Marina del Rey. Main Street and the beach bike path run straight through both, so you can walk or ride from one to the other.

They share a founder. Abbot Kinney and Francis Ryan laid out Ocean Park as a beach resort in the 1890s, then Kinney moved south and opened Venice of America on July 4, 1905. The names get confusing, too: the town that became Venice incorporated as Ocean Park in 1904, renamed itself Venice in 1911, and voted to join Los Angeles in 1925.

The city line decides which rent control law applies, which school district you're in, who issues your building permits and how street parking works. The rest of this page goes through each one.

Homes and asking prices

Venice has far more houses, and about 82% of Ocean Park households rent.

A sunny beachfront walkway with bikes, cafe umbrellas and palms, beside a white shingled hotel and a brick 1920s hotel — Photo: Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

Venice has about 5,200 houses on small lots, typically about 4,200 square feet, plus about 2,350 condo units and close to 11,000 apartments. About a third of its houses were built before 1940 and about one in eight in 2000 or later, so old bungalows sit next to modern rebuilds.

Ocean Park is mostly apartments: about 4,600 units in roughly 700 buildings, and about 92% of those units are in buildings from before 1979. There are also about 1,500 condo units, mostly from the 1960s to the 1980s. Its roughly 600 houses are small, on lots that typically run about 3,400 square feet, and half of them were built in 1924 or earlier, according to county records. About 82% of households rent.

On September 25, 2026, Venice had 131 houses for sale. Most were asking about $2.4 million to $4.5 million, and the full range ran from about $1.27 million to $13.9 million. Venice condos were mostly asking $1 million to $2 million. The same day Ocean Park had 8 houses asking about $1.2 million to $4.2 million, 24 condos from about $613,000 to $2.4 million, and 7 small income properties from about $1.75 million to $7.65 million. The live numbers on this page will have moved since then.

In late September 2026, canal-front houses in Venice were asking about $1.9 million to $4.5 million and walk-street houses about $1.7 million to $5.9 million, depending mostly on the street and how new the house is. On a Venice house I start with the coastal permit history and whether the square footage matches what was approved. For an Ocean Park condo I read the HOA budget, the reserve study and the board minutes.

Venice houses: most about $2.4M to $4.5M (Sept 25, 2026)
Ocean Park: 8 houses about $1.2M to $4.2M; 24 condos about $613K to $2.4M
Venice canal houses about $1.9M to $4.5M; walk-street houses about $1.7M to $5.9M

Two rent control laws

If you buy a building with tenants, which city it's in decides how much rent you can charge.

People cycling and walking on a wide beachfront walkway past homes, cafe umbrellas and the pink and teal Cadillac Hotel — Photo: Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

Venice falls under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which generally covers rental properties first built on or before October 1, 1978, and about 90% of Venice's multi-unit buildings date to 1978 or earlier. In the Coastal Zone the state Mello Act also limits tearing down or converting housing occupied by low- and moderate-income tenants. Short-term rentals are only allowed as home-sharing in your primary residence, up to 120 days a year, and never in a rent-stabilized unit.

Ocean Park is covered by Santa Monica's rent control law, passed by voters in April 1979, which generally applies to units built before April 10, 1979. Owners set the starting rent when a new tenant moves in, and after that, increases follow the annual general adjustment: 2.6% for September 2026, capped at $70 a month for units renting at $2,674 or more. Tenants have just-cause protections, and a no-fault eviction comes with a relocation payment set by the city. Houses and most separately sold condos can be rented at market rates under the state's Costa-Hawkins Act, though the just-cause rules still apply.

If you plan to live in one unit of a small Ocean Park building, ask about the owner-occupied exemption for properties of three units or fewer, which ends when you sell. On an Ocean Park income property I pull the Rent Control Board's registered rents for every unit rather than relying on the seller's rent roll. In Venice I confirm the RSO status and the tenants in place before we make an offer.

Venice: LA RSO, rentals first built on or before Oct 1, 1978
Ocean Park: Santa Monica rent control, units built before April 10, 1979; 2.6% for Sept 2026
Both: know the tenants and the legal rents before you make an offer

Flood maps and coastal permits

The Venice canals carry more flood risk, and both neighborhoods are in the Coastal Zone.

Big trees wrapped in white string lights with a glowing chandelier, above a white picket fence and brick gateposts at dusk — Photo: Carlos Pacheco, CC BY 2.0

On FEMA's map the Venice canals are zone AE with a base flood elevation of 8 feet at the points I checked, and about 950 of the roughly 5,200 house parcels fall in that zone. The canals depend on two tide gates, neither FEMA-certified as flood control, and the city's 2018 study found more than 750 parcels could flood today if a gate failed during an extreme high tide. In August 2017 a problem with the Marina gate sent the canal water up to the sidewalks.

In Ocean Park the sand is zone VE, and the points I checked on Barnard Way, Neilson Way, 2nd Street and Main Street are zone X, which means minimal flood hazard. The state's tsunami hazard area covers about a fifth of the neighborhood: the beach plus the condo and apartment buildings on Barnard Way, Neilson Way, Sea Colony Drive and the west end of Ocean Park Boulevard. That goes on the Natural Hazard Disclosure.

Both are almost entirely in the California Coastal Zone. Venice still has no certified Local Coastal Program, so most new houses, big remodels and many ADUs need a coastal development permit, and projects near the beach also go to the Coastal Commission. In Ocean Park, larger projects may need a coastal permit on top of the city's building permits. In either neighborhood, find out which permits you'll need before you design anything.

Venice canals: FEMA zone AE (8 ft); get the elevation certificate and a flood insurance quote
Ocean Park: inland streets checked are zone X; the buildings nearest the sand are in the tsunami area
Both: plan on coastal review for bigger projects

Crowds, planes, parking and schools

A terracotta house and a cream Italianate house with iron balconies behind hedges, red bougainvillea and a small dock on a canal — Photo: Los Angeles (Wikimedia Commons user), CC BY-SA 3.0

Venice Beach gets over ten million visitors a year by the city's count. Within a few blocks of the boardwalk or Abbot Kinney you'll feel it on summer weekends, mostly as strangers parking on your street and noise into the evening; a few blocks inland, or on the canals, it gets quiet fast. Homelessness has been the biggest political fight in Venice for years, and you can see it on some blocks. The citywide 2026 count rose 3.4%, while the Westside council district that includes Venice was reported down for a third straight year. Walk any block you're serious about in the morning and again on a weekend night.

In Ocean Park, check the flight paths. Santa Monica Airport is about two miles east. Planes take off to the west about 95% of the time and then turn north at the shoreline or south at Lincoln, and air traffic rose 39% in 2025. The city plans to close the airport at the end of 2028. Parking is the daily complaint in Ocean Park, but many side streets are in permit zones, which Venice doesn't have.

School districts follow the city line. Venice is LAUSD: Westminster Avenue Elementary is a STEAM magnet, Broadway Elementary has Mandarin and Spanish dual-language programs, and Coeur d'Alene and Walgrove are the other nearby elementaries. After those come Mark Twain Middle and Venice High, which has STEMM and World Languages magnets. Ocean Park is in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and the addresses I checked in September 2026 were zoned for Ocean Park School House, a TK-8, then John Adams Middle and Santa Monica High. Check your own address with the district.

Homes for sale in Venice

262 active listings in the mapped area

Coming Soon

$1,875,000

Townhouse3 bd3 ba1,803 sqft

406 Brooks

Just listed

$995,000

Condo1 bd2 ba928 sqft

13700 Marina Pointe Drive 1210

Just listed

$1,395,000

Condo2 bd3 ba1,679 sqft

13650 Marina Pointe Drive 404

Coming Soon

$1,449,000

Single-Family2 bd2 ba1,503 sqft

718 Valita Street

Just listed

$1,589,000

Single-Family2 bd2 ba1,196 sqft

2328 Beach Avenue

Just listed

$1,746,000

Single-Family2 bd2 ba1,498 sqft

800 Seventh Avenue

Just listed

$4,295,000

Single-Family5 bd5 ba3,817 sqft

1500 Louella Avenue

Just listed

$3,249,000

Single-Family5 bd6 ba3,163 sqft

1039 Nowita Place

Just listed

$3,150,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba2,499 sqft

2409 Wilson Avenue

Just listed

$2,399,999

Single-Family3 bd2 ba2,443 sqft

818 Palms Boulevard

Just listed

$4,295,000

Single-Family5 bd6 ba3,667 sqft

2478 Louella Avenue

Just listed

$1,575,000

Condo2 bd3 ba1,459 sqft

13700 Marina Pointe Drive 1411

Just listed

$1,850,000

Single-Family2 bd2 ba1,258 sqft

3028 Yale Avenue

8 days on market

$949,000

Condo1 bd2 ba993 sqft

13700 Marina Pointe Drive 1520

8 days on market

$2,595,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba1,925 sqft

908 California Avenue

9 days on market

$3,499,999

Multi-Family6 bd5 ba4,015 sqft

1140 Nowita Place

View all 262 homes on the live map

Still deciding? Ask me.

I’m a Realtor based in Long Beach, and Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles

Homes for sale in Ocean Park

38 active listings in the mapped area

Just listed

$2,200,000

Condo2 bd2 ba1,502 sqft

140 Ocean Park Boulevard 425

8 days on market

$2,995,000

Multi-Family3 bd4 ba2,128 sqft

3132 6th Street

12 days on market

$1,199,000

Single-Family2 bd1 ba860 sqft

806 Navy Street

12 days on market

$2,395,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,910 sqft

125 Pacific Street 8

14 days on market

$4,196,000

Single-Family3 bd3 ba2,301 sqft

706 Navy Street

16 days on market

$2,625,000

Single-Family4 bd2 ba1,480 sqft

2704 3rd Street

17 days on market

$1,049,999

Condo2 bd2 ba1,089 sqft

2312 6th 1

17 days on market

$6,749,000

Multi-Family9 bd10 ba14,037 sqft

2216 Main Street 8 Units

17 days on market

$1,285,000

Condo2 bd2 ba1,072 sqft

2913 3rd Street 306

22 days on market

$995,000

Condo2 bd2 ba854 sqft

2721 2nd Street 205

22 days on market

$2,995,000

Single-Family3 bd2 ba1,748 sqft

712 Copeland Court

23 days on market

$1,649,000

Condo2 bd3 ba1,379 sqft

2806 6th Street

37 days on market

$3,495,000

Single-Family4 bd3 ba1,770 sqft

2418 4th Street

43 days on market

$3,178,000

Multi-Family11 bd8 ba5,744 sqft

712 Pacific Street

44 days on market

$2,100,000

Condo3 bd3 ba1,805 sqft

2222 Neilson Way 102

44 days on market

$1,900,000

Condo2 bd3 ba2,010 sqft

3019 3rd Street 202

View all 38 homes on the live map

Questions & answers

Venice, if you need a house; Ocean Park, if a condo works. Venice has about 5,200 houses to Ocean Park's roughly 600, and on September 25, 2026, 131 Venice houses were for sale, compared with 8 in Ocean Park. Venice is in LAUSD, with magnet and dual-language programs nearby; Ocean Park is in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, where the addresses I checked were zoned for Ocean Park School House, a TK-8, then John Adams Middle and Samohi. Confirm the schools for the exact address.

Most older ones are, under two different laws. Venice is under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which generally covers rentals first built on or before October 1, 1978. Ocean Park is under Santa Monica's rent control, which generally covers units built before April 10, 1979; the September 2026 increase there is 2.6%, capped at $70 a month. About 92% of Ocean Park's apartment units are in buildings from before 1979.

Venice has more homes in one. About 950 of its roughly 5,200 house parcels, mostly around the canals, sit in FEMA zone AE with a base flood elevation of 8 feet. In Ocean Park the sand is zone VE and the inland streets I checked are zone X, but the state's tsunami hazard area covers the buildings nearest the beach. For a specific house, check the elevation certificate and the Natural Hazard Disclosure.

They're in different districts: Venice is LAUSD and Ocean Park is Santa Monica-Malibu Unified. Venice schools include Westminster Avenue Elementary (STEAM magnet), Broadway Elementary (Mandarin and Spanish dual-language), Coeur d'Alene and Walgrove elementaries, Mark Twain Middle and Venice High. Ocean Park addresses I checked in September 2026 were zoned for Ocean Park School House, a TK-8 at 2526 6th Street, then John Adams Middle and Santa Monica High. Check your exact address with the district.