If you’re thinking about buying a home in Southeast LA County, one of the biggest questions you might have is:
Should I buy in Long Beach or Lakewood?
And that is a real question, because these two cities are right next to each other, but they offer completely different lifestyles, different price points, different types of homes, and honestly, two very different buying strategies.
Lakewood is more suburban, more consistent, and more predictable.
Long Beach is bigger, more diverse, more coastal, more urban, and gives you way more variety.
But here’s the problem.
A lot of buyers compare these two cities the wrong way.
They just look at price.
They say, “This house in Lakewood is $900,000, and this house in Long Beach is $900,000, so which one is better?”
But that is not enough.
Because $900,000 in Lakewood might get you a clean, traditional single-family home in a quiet neighborhood.
And $900,000 in Long Beach could mean a condo near the beach, a Spanish-style home in Wrigley, a smaller home near Belmont Heights, or something totally different depending on the neighborhood.
So in this video, I’m going to break down Long Beach versus Lakewood.
We’re going to talk about the pros, the cons, the lifestyle, the price points, and which type of buyer each city makes the most sense for.
And make sure you stay until the end, because I’m going to give you the honest answer on which city I would choose depending on your budget.
Let’s get into it.
https://youtu.be/jIH4iNZ1Zh0?si=X2RYd4o_DM0-381c
Lakewood and Long Beach are neighbors, but they feel completely different.
Lakewood is a smaller suburban city with a very residential feel. It is known for single-family homes, planned neighborhoods, parks, shopping, and a more consistent street-by-street experience.
Long Beach, on the other hand, is a full city. It has beach neighborhoods, downtown condos, historic districts, luxury waterfront homes, multi-family properties, walkable neighborhoods, busier streets, and everything in between.
That is the first big difference.
Lakewood gives you consistency.
Long Beach gives you variety.
And depending on what kind of buyer you are, that can either be a huge advantage or a huge headache.
Here’s the first hook.
If you want simple, Lakewood is probably going to feel better.
If you want options, Long Beach is probably going to feel better.
But simple usually costs more than people expect, and options usually come with trade-offs.
Let’s start with Lakewood.
The biggest pro of Lakewood is predictability.
When you drive through many parts of Lakewood, the neighborhoods feel clean, organized, and consistent. You see a lot of single-family homes, similar lot sizes, tree-lined streets, parks nearby, and a more traditional suburban environment.
For a lot of buyers, especially first-time buyers or families, that matters.
You do not always want to feel like you have to study every single block like a detective before deciding if the area makes sense.
Now, to be clear, you should always research the exact neighborhood and exact street before buying any home.
But compared to Long Beach, Lakewood is generally easier to understand.
Lakewood is not trying to be everything.
It is not trying to be a beach city, downtown city, historic city, nightlife city, and suburban city all at the same time.
It is mostly a suburban residential city.
And that is why people like it.
One of the strongest Lakewood areas is Lakewood Park.
This is one of the classic Lakewood neighborhoods. You get traditional single-family homes, a strong residential feel, and good access to shopping, parks, and surrounding cities.
As of recent Redfin data, Lakewood Park was around a $920,000 median sale price over the three months ending May 2026.
That tells you something important.
Lakewood is not a cheap alternative anymore.
This is a real $900,000-plus market in many pockets.
Another popular area is Carson Park.
Carson Park has a strong residential feel and is close to the border of Long Beach, El Dorado Park, and areas that connect you toward Orange County. Redfin showed Carson Park around a $901,000 median sale price.
Then you have Mayfair, which can sometimes be a little more approachable compared to some other Lakewood pockets. Recent Redfin data showed Mayfair around an $885,000 median sale price.
Lakewood Mutual was around $905,000, and Lakewood Estates was around $965,000.
And then you have Lakewood Country Club Estates, which is a completely different price category. Recent Redfin data showed that area around $2.1 million, but with a small luxury neighborhood like that, the median can swing a lot depending on what sold.
So when people ask, “How much does Lakewood cost?” the honest answer is:
Most standard Lakewood single-family home neighborhoods are roughly in that high-$800,000s to mid-$900,000s range, with higher-end pockets going well above that.
Now, what are the cons of Lakewood?
The first con is that you do not get as much variety.
Most of Lakewood is single-family homes. A lot of homes are older, traditional layouts. Many were built in the mid-century era. You’ll see a lot of three-bedroom, one-bath, or three-bedroom, two-bath homes.
Some have been expanded.
Some have been remodeled.
Some are still original.
But if you want something very unique, very walkable, very urban, near nightlife, near the beach, or with income-producing multi-family potential, Lakewood may feel limited.
That is not what Lakewood is best at.
Lakewood is best for buyers who want the suburban lifestyle.
The second con is competition.
Because Lakewood is predictable and desirable, good homes still get attention.
If a clean home hits the market in a good Lakewood pocket, and it is priced correctly, you need to be ready.
You need your pre-approval ready.
You need to know your monthly payment.
You need to know how much cash you need to close.
And you need to know what terms you are comfortable offering.
Because if you are still casually browsing, the serious buyers may beat you to it.
Here’s the next hook.
Lakewood is not where you go to find a hidden bargain.
Lakewood is where you go when you are willing to pay for stability.
Now let’s talk about Long Beach.
Long Beach is a completely different animal.
The biggest pro of Long Beach is variety.
- Condo downtown is an option.
- Historic homes are available in Wrigley.
- Bixby Knolls is another area to explore.
- Belmont Shore is also worth considering.
- can look at Naples if you want luxury waterfront.
You can look at El Dorado Park if you want something closer to a suburban feel.
You can find single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, apartment buildings, beach properties, and fixer opportunities.
Lakewood does not give you that same range.
Long Beach does.
That is the advantage.
But that is also the challenge.
Because Long Beach is so large and so varied, you cannot talk about Long Beach like it is one market.
Long Beach is not one thing.
Downtown Long Beach is not Naples.
Naples is not Wrigley.
Wrigley is not El Dorado Park.
El Dorado Park is not Belmont Shore.
So if someone tells you, “Long Beach is cheaper than Lakewood,” that is only partly true.
Some parts are cheaper.
Some parts are way more expensive.
while others are more condo-heavy.
Some areas are mostly single-family homes.
Other areas are more walkable and have a lot going on.
And some neighborhoods actually feel pretty suburban and quiet.
That is why you have to compare neighborhood to neighborhood, not just city to city.
Let’s talk price points.
But Long Beach also had a median price per square foot around $616, which reflects strong demand and higher pricing per square foot across a mix of smaller and more urban properties.
Now let’s break down some Long Beach communities.
Wrigley is often one of the areas buyers look at when they want a single-family home and do not want to jump straight into the million-dollar coastal neighborhoods.
Recent Redfin data showed Wrigley around $810,000, with South Wrigley around $790,000 and North Wrigley around $862,000.
This is where Long Beach can start to look attractive compared to Lakewood.
If Lakewood is mostly high-$800,000s to $900,000s, and parts of Wrigley are around the high-$700,000s to low-$800,000s, buyers might say, “Why not Long Beach?”
And that can make sense.
But here is the trade-off.
Wrigley is more urban.
The neighborhood feel can vary more.
Some homes are beautiful.
Some need work.
Some streets feel great.
Some streets may not be what every buyer is looking for.
So you may get a better price point, but you have to be more selective.
Now let’s look at Bixby Knolls.
Bixby Knolls is one of the stronger Long Beach neighborhoods for buyers who want charm, character, restaurants, community feel, and a more established neighborhood identity.
Recent Redfin data showed Bixby Knolls around $955,000.
That puts it right in the same conversation as Lakewood, and in some cases, above certain Lakewood neighborhoods.
So if you are comparing Lakewood to Bixby Knolls, do not assume Long Beach is automatically cheaper.
You may actually pay similar money, but the lifestyle is different.
Lakewood gives you the cleaner suburban feel.
Bixby Knolls may give you more character, more charm, and more local business energy.
Then you have Cal Heights, Bixby Knolls, and Los Cerritos combined in some market reporting, which recently showed around $1.13 million.
That tells you that once you start getting into the more desirable historic north Long Beach neighborhoods, you can quickly move above Lakewood pricing.
Now let’s talk about Belmont Shore.
Belmont Shore is one of the most popular lifestyle neighborhoods in Long Beach.
You have walkability.
You have restaurants.
You have the beach lifestyle.
You have Second Street.
You have that coastal energy that Lakewood simply does not offer.
Recent Redfin data showed Belmont Shore around a $1.5 million median sale price.
So yes, Long Beach can be more affordable than Lakewood in some areas.
But in Belmont Shore, you are in a completely different price range.
And for many buyers, you are paying for lifestyle more than square footage.
That is a major difference.
In Lakewood, you are usually paying for land, consistency, and suburban comfort.
In Belmont Shore, you are paying for location, walkability, and coastal lifestyle.
Now let’s go even higher.
Naples recently showed around a $2.0 million median sale price, and Peninsula was around $2.1 million.
That is luxury Long Beach.
That is not really comparable to standard Lakewood.
That is a different buyer.
That buyer is probably looking at waterfront lifestyle, prestige, proximity to the beach, and a very specific kind of property.
Then you have El Dorado Park areas.
This is where Long Beach starts to feel more comparable to Lakewood.
El Dorado Park South recently showed around $1.1 million. El Dorado Park North was also around $1.1 million, and El Dorado Park Estates was around $1.3 million.
This is important because if you are comparing Lakewood to east Long Beach, especially near El Dorado Park, the price point can actually be higher in Long Beach.
But you may be getting a very strong residential pocket, proximity to the park, and access toward Orange County.
So again, the answer is not “Long Beach is cheaper” or “Lakewood is better.”
The answer is, “Which part of Long Beach, and compared to which part of Lakewood?”
Now let’s look at Downtown Long Beach.
Downtown recently showed around a $466,000 median sale price, but that number is heavily influenced by condos, not traditional single-family homes.
This is where buyers get confused.
They go online and see Long Beach listings in the $400,000s or $500,000s, and they think, “Long Beach is way cheaper than Lakewood.”
But many of those are condos.
That means you have to look at HOA fees, parking, building condition, insurance, financing, and resale.
A $500,000 condo with a high HOA may not be as affordable monthly as it looks.
And it is not the same lifestyle as owning a single-family home in Lakewood.
Here’s another hook.
Do not compare a Downtown Long Beach condo to a Lakewood single-family home and think you are comparing apples to apples.
You are not.
You are comparing two totally different lifestyles.
Now let’s break this down by buyer type.
If you are a first-time buyer and your budget is around $700,000 to $850,000, Long Beach may give you more options than Lakewood.
You may find condos.
You may find smaller homes.
You may find homes that need updates.
You may find more entry-level opportunities in certain neighborhoods.
Lakewood may be harder at that budget, especially if you want a clean single-family home in a strong pocket.
That does not mean impossible.
But you will probably face more trade-offs.
If your budget is $850,000 to $950,000, now both cities are in play.
In Lakewood, this could put you into Mayfair, Carson Park, Lakewood Mutual, or Lakewood Park depending on the property condition and competition.
In Long Beach, this could put you into Wrigley, parts of Bixby Knolls, Recreation Park, or certain east Long Beach options depending on the exact home.
Recreation Park recently showed around an $835,000 median sale price, so that is another area buyers may compare if they want Long Beach lifestyle without going fully coastal luxury.
If your budget is $1 million to $1.3 million, now you have stronger options.
In Lakewood, you can compete for nicer homes, expanded homes, remodeled homes, or better pockets.
In Long Beach, you may be looking at Bixby Knolls, Cal Heights, El Dorado Park, or possibly smaller or more trade-off properties in areas closer to the coast.
If your budget is $1.5 million and up, Long Beach starts to open up much more lifestyle-driven communities like Belmont Shore, Park Estates, Naples, and Peninsula.
Park Estates recently showed around $1.6 million, while Naples and Peninsula were around $2 million-plus.
Lakewood does have luxury pockets, especially Lakewood Country Club Estates, but Long Beach has more high-end lifestyle variety.
Now let’s talk pros and cons side by side.
Lakewood pros.
Number one, consistency.
This is probably Lakewood’s biggest strength. The neighborhoods are easier to understand, and the city has a more predictable suburban feel.
Number two, single-family home lifestyle.
If your goal is a traditional house, driveway, garage, yard, neighborhood, parks, and suburban comfort, Lakewood makes a lot of sense.
Number three, lower complexity.
Long Beach has more property types, more neighborhood variation, more parking concerns in certain areas, more HOA considerations if you are looking at condos, and more street-by-street differences.
Lakewood is simpler for many buyers.
Number four, resale demand.
Lakewood has a strong reputation with buyers who want a suburban LA County location near Long Beach and Orange County.
Now Lakewood cons.
Number one, less variety.
You do not get the beach, downtown, waterfront, historic district, nightlife, or walkability options that Long Beach offers.
Number two, fewer entry-level options.
Lakewood is mostly a single-family market, so if your budget is lower, there may be fewer ways to enter the market.
Number three, homes can feel similar.
Some buyers love that.
Some buyers want more character.
Number four, you may pay a premium for predictability.
Now Long Beach pros.
Number one, variety.
This is Long Beach’s superpower.
You can choose coastal, urban, historic, suburban, condo, single-family, multi-family, luxury, entry-level, and everything in between.
Number two, lifestyle.
Long Beach has beaches, restaurants, walkable districts, nightlife, events, parks, marinas, historic charm, and more energy.
Number three, more price point options.
Because Long Beach has condos and more varied housing, buyers may find more ways to get into the market compared to Lakewood.
Number four, investment potential.
Long Beach has more multi-family and rental-friendly opportunities in many areas compared to Lakewood.
Now Long Beach cons.
Number one, inconsistency.
Long Beach changes dramatically by neighborhood and even by block.
You have to know what you are buying.
Number two, parking and density.
In certain parts of Long Beach, parking can be a real issue. Density can be a real issue. Street noise can be a real issue.
That is not true everywhere, but it is true enough that buyers need to pay attention.
Number three, HOA fees.
If you are buying a condo, the HOA can change the entire affordability picture.
Number four, more complexity.
Long Beach gives you more choices, but more choices also means more ways to make the wrong decision.
Here’s the real question.
Which city should you choose?
If you want quiet, simple, suburban, consistent, and mostly single-family, Lakewood is probably the better fit.
If you want lifestyle, variety, walkability, beach access, income-property potential, or more entry points into the market, Long Beach may be the better fit.
But the answer depends heavily on your budget.
If you have $750,000 and you want a single-family home, I would probably be looking more seriously at Long Beach pockets, Bellflower, Norwalk, or surrounding areas, because Lakewood may be difficult unless you are open to condition issues or major compromises.
If you have $900,000, Lakewood becomes much more realistic.
At that number, Lakewood starts to make sense if you want a traditional home and a stable neighborhood feel.
If you have $1 million to $1.2 million, you need to compare lifestyle.
Do you want a cleaner suburban home in Lakewood?
Or do you want more character and neighborhood variety in Long Beach?
If you have $1.5 million or more, Long Beach gives you more premium lifestyle options, especially if you want coastal or historic neighborhoods.
Here’s the part most buyers miss.
Lakewood is not automatically better because it is more consistent.
Long Beach is not automatically better because it has more lifestyle.
The right choice depends on what you value more.
Do you value predictability?
Or do you value options?
Do you want quiet?
Or do you want energy?
Do you want a traditional suburban home?
Or do you want walkability, beach proximity, or architectural character?
Do you want fewer variables?
Or are you comfortable doing more research to find the right opportunity?
That is the real decision.
My honest take is this.
For a buyer who wants a straightforward family-friendly suburban home and does not want to overthink every single block, Lakewood is one of the safer choices.
For a buyer who wants more lifestyle, more character, more investment potential, or more price point flexibility, Long Beach is hard to beat.
But you cannot buy Long Beach blindly.
You need to know the neighborhoods.
You need to know the streets.
You need to know the property type.
And you need to know what the monthly payment looks like after taxes, insurance, HOA, and maintenance.
So before you decide between Lakewood and Long Beach, do not just ask, “Which city is better?”
Ask this instead:
Which city fits my budget, my lifestyle, my risk tolerance, and my long-term plan?
That is how you make the right move.
If you are trying to decide between buying in Lakewood, Long Beach, Bellflower, Cerritos, or anywhere nearby, I can help you compare the real numbers and show you what your budget actually gets you in each city.
Call or text me at 949-775-0559.
I’m Chris Wall, Realtor with Onyx Homes, brokered by First Team.
And if you want honest local real estate breakdowns without the fluff, make sure you subscribe for more videos like this.