6 Surprisingly Cheap Places To Own Beachfront Property in California

When you think California and beach towns, you probably don’t assume they’ll be cheap places to live. And for the most part, you’re right. California real estate has been on a steady upward climb ever since the economy recovered from the 2008-2009 housing bubble crash that has shown little signs of stopping.

However, if you’re not attached to which California beach town you call home, you’ve got a few surprising options that can be considered affordable, by California standards. Here are six of the “cheapest” beachfront property spots in California.

Beachfront property under a million dollars in California is considered affordable these days. For people who appreciate the warmer temperatures and sunnier beaches of Southern California, the town of Oceanside is a winner, according to The Budget Travel Buff.

Just thirty minutes away from San Diego, and with a median home price of$848,620, according to Zillow, lovers of places like Malibu and San Diego can get many of the same benefits and amenities for a lower price, with access to a big city.

For lovers of the beautiful ocean community Monterey, with its world famous aquarium and incredible food and restaurants, there’s the neighboring town of Seaside. Seaside offers all the same benefits less than five miles away, without the higher prices of the in-demand location.

Seaside’s median home value is $798,493, according to Zillow, still less than the state average for such a popular part of the world. For comparison, the median home price in Monterey is $1,217,425.

You’ve probably heard of well-visited Pismo Beach (Bugs Bunny used to famously find himself missing it in the old “Looney Toons” cartoons), a popular tourist attraction in California’s Central Coast. Prices in Pismo are exorbitant, but just between the town of Pismo Beach and Oceano you’ll find Grover Beach, a relatively small community that has a wonderful mix of ocean, hiking, and coastal city life, and is a destination for the migrating monarch butterflies every year.

The median home price in Grover Beach, is $747,350, according to Zillow. Compare that to the median price in Pismo Beach of $1,266,043, and you’ll see what a steal it is. It even has a lower crime rate than neighboring cities, according to The Budget Travel Buff.

Also in Northern California, you’ll find the coastal town of Arcata, home to Humboldt State University. Arcata bridges the fun nightlife and bustling amenities of a college town with the amenities and businesses of a bigger city, according to California.com. Not only do you have ocean access, but rivers and redwoods — an outdoor lovers’ paradise.

In Arcata, the median home price is just $523,615, according to Zillow.

Along Northern California’s coast, you’ll find Eureka, a town that has the best of both the coast and the world-famous redwoods. This lovely place has a mix of small-town charm, with old Victorian homes and a quaint downtown, along with a bustling city center. It’s a quieter life with plenty of ocean activities and beaches to frequent.

The median home price here is $460,902, according to Zillow. According to Budget Travel Buff, other amenities, from healthcare to entertainment, are much more affordable compared to other beach towns.

This lovely beach town in California is at the northernmost tip of the state, very close to Oregon, so you’d have a long stretch of coastline to explore. According to California.com, this city was once all but destroyed by a Tsunami in 1964, but rebuilt to be a thriving town with a number of small, quaint coves and beaches great for building driftwood forts and hunting for agates.

Here, the median home price is just $349,425, according to Zillow, [x]which is less than half as much as the median home price for the state of California, which was $863,390 in June, according to PR Newswire.