The short answer: Long Beach is a Los Angeles County city of about 467,000 people with dozens of neighborhoods and Long Beach Unified schools. Seal Beach is an Orange County city of about 25,000 with Los Alamitos Unified schools. Over the three months ending September 2026, the median sale was $909,567 in Long Beach, versus $1,599,552 in Belmont Shore, $2,394,329 in Old Town Seal Beach and $1,629,543 in College Park East.
Side by side
| Long Beach | Seal Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles | Orange |
| Population (2020) | 466,742 | 25,242 |
| School district | Long Beach Unified (most of the city) | Los Alamitos Unified (almost all of the city) |
| Beach | Calm bay beaches inside the breakwater | Open-ocean beach with surf, next to the pier |
| Getting around | Long Beach Airport, Metro A Line, I-405/I-710/I-605 | PCH and I-405; Long Beach Airport nearby |
Prices by neighborhood
| Neighborhood | Median sale | vs last year | $/sq ft | Days on market | Sale-to-list | Homes sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Shore | $1,599,552 | -1.6% | $924 | 55 | 98.8% | 21 |
| Naples Island | $1,859,479 | +11.8% | $823 | 59 | 95.2% | 11 |
| El Dorado Park Estates | $1,548,566 | +15.6% | $746 | 24 | 101.9% | 7 |
| Long Beach | $909,567 | +9.3% | $641 | 47 | 99.6% | 653 |
| Old Town Seal Beach | $2,394,329 | -5.6% | $985 | 71 | 95.4% | 9 |
| College Park East | $1,629,543 | +19.7% | $682 | 36 | 99.7% | 11 |
| Seal Beach | $469,277 | +4.4% | $456 | 54 | 98.8% | 136 |
All home types, three months ending September 2026. Source: Redfin Data Center (MLS and public records): Belmont Shore · Naples Island · El Dorado Park Estates · Long Beach · Old Town Seal Beach · College Park East · Seal Beach. Areas with few sales swing month to month.
How to choose
If you want an open-ocean beach town with a small-city feel, Seal Beach. If you want more choice of neighborhoods, prices and home styles, plus an airport and rail line, Long Beach. Belmont Shore and Old Town Seal Beach are the closest in feel, a few minutes apart across the San Gabriel River.
Talk to Eunice about a home
Call or text (562) 714-1565, email hello@homesbyeunice.com, or start online.
Questions people ask
Is Seal Beach part of Long Beach?
No. Seal Beach is its own city in Orange County. Long Beach is in Los Angeles County.
Is Long Beach cheaper than Seal Beach?
For single-family homes, usually yes: Long Beach's citywide median was $909,567 versus $1,629,543 in College Park East and $2,394,329 in Old Town Seal Beach. Seal Beach's citywide median ($469,277) is lower only because of Leisure World co-ops.
Which has better beaches?
They are different. Long Beach's beaches sit inside the breakwater and are calm; Seal Beach faces open ocean with waves. Check water-quality grades before swimming at either.
- Long Beach, California (Wikipedia)
- Seal Beach, California (Wikipedia)
- Belmont Shore, Long Beach (Wikipedia)
- Long Beach Unified School District
- Los Alamitos Unified School District: about the district
- Long Beach housing market (Redfin)
- Seal Beach housing market (Redfin)
- Belmont Shore housing market (Redfin)