Moving to Long Beach, California

Long Beach in numbers

Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in California and the coastal alternative to Los Angeles proper. The July 1, 2025 estimate is 450,469 residents, down 3.5% since April 2020 — a decline in line with the wider Los Angeles County pattern.

From Census Bureau QuickFacts:

• median household income: $87,430 (2020–2024, in 2024 dollars);
• median gross rent: $1,871;
• median value of an owner-occupied home: $806,600;
• homeownership rate: 41.2%.

Rent of $1,871 is meaningfully below San Jose’s $2,669 and below San Diego’s $2,313 — for a coastal city with a beach, a port, and its own downtown, that is the argument.

What kind of city it is

Long Beach is a city rather than a suburb of Los Angeles, and it behaves like one: its own downtown, its own port — one of the two largest in the country — its own university, its own airport, and a distinct identity that residents are attached to.

It is also more mixed in housing type than most of Southern California. Craftsman bungalows, mid-century apartment courts, Art Deco towers downtown, waterfront condos, and postwar tracts all sit within a few miles of each other. That variety is why the move-day experience varies so much by neighborhood.

The climate is the Southern California coastal default: mild year-round, with a marine layer that keeps mornings grey in late spring and early summer.

Neighborhoods, and what each means for a move

Downtown and East Village. High-rise and mid-rise buildings. Freight elevators, loading docks, certificates of insurance, and reserved move windows. Book two weeks ahead.

Belmont Shore and Naples. Beach-adjacent, dense, narrow streets, and very limited parking — Naples in particular has canals and lanes that a large truck cannot use. Often a shuttle.

Bluff Park and Bluff Heights. Historic districts with 1920s homes, raised entries, and older doorways. Character, and a slower carry.

Belmont Heights and Alamitos Heights. Established, family-oriented, generally good access with driveways.

Bixby Knolls and California Heights. Mid-century homes, wide streets, straightforward access, and a strong neighborhood feel.

El Dorado Park and East Long Beach. Suburban, garages, the easiest moves in the city.

Cost of living and the trade with LA

Long Beach is expensive by national standards and moderate by coastal Southern California ones. Housing is the difference: a median home value of $806,600 sits well below coastal Los Angeles neighborhoods and below San Diego’s $906,700.

• Utilities are mixed — Long Beach runs its own gas and water utilities, with Southern California Edison for electricity.
• Sales tax is the 7.25% state base plus Los Angeles County and city district taxes on top, per the CDTFA. The combined rate here is among the higher ones in the state.
• Parking is a genuine cost in the dense western and beach neighborhoods, both in money and in daily friction.
• Transportation. The Metro A Line runs to downtown Los Angeles, and Long Beach is more transit-usable than most of the region — though most households still drive.

Jobs

The Port of Long Beach and the associated logistics economy is the anchor, along with healthcare, California State University Long Beach, aerospace, and a growing creative and tech presence downtown.

A large share of residents commute — to downtown Los Angeles, to Orange County, or to the South Bay. As everywhere in the region, the commute should be decided before the neighborhood.

What makes a Long Beach move different

• Parking permits. Many neighborhoods are permit-only, and reserving curb space for a truck needs arranging in advance. Without it the carry gets long.
• Narrow beach streets. Belmont Shore, Naples, and parts of Alamitos Beach cannot take a 26-foot truck. Expect a smaller vehicle or a shuttle.
• Elevator reservations downtown, with certificates of insurance commonly required.
• Older buildings in the historic districts have narrow stairs and tight landings. Measure large furniture.
• Salt air. Anything going into a garage or storage near the water needs to be properly dry and sealed.
• Marine layer mornings mean damp ground; floor protection at both ends is worth the ten minutes.

Planning the move

For a local move within Los Angeles County, hourly pricing usually fits — duration depends on access, stairs, and parking rather than distance. Our standard package is $175 per hour for two movers and one truck, including disassembly and reassembly, blankets and furniture protection, mattress protection, standard protection for TVs, mirrors, artwork and electronics, floor and doorway protection, loading, transport, unloading, placement, three reusable wardrobe boxes, and dispatcher coordination.

For a move from the Bay Area — roughly 400 miles — a flat rate against a confirmed inventory is usually the better structure. For moves inside California, the applicable terms come from your move documents and the state rules published by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services; arriving from out of state, the FMCSA sets out the two valuation options and explains binding estimates.

Halo by California Movers USA works the Bay Area to Southern California corridor with in-house crews. See San Francisco to Long Beach moving, Long Beach movers, and pricing.

Related reading: moving to Los Angeles, things to do in LA, moving to San Diego, and how to pack for a move.

Questions people ask

Is Long Beach cheaper than Los Angeles?

On housing, generally yes — a median home value of $806,600 and rent of $1,871, below coastal LA neighborhoods.

Is Long Beach losing population?

It was down 3.5% between April 2020 and July 2025, consistent with the wider Los Angeles County trend.

Do I need a car?

For most addresses, yes, though Long Beach is more walkable and transit-connected than most of the region, and the Metro A Line reaches downtown LA.

What is the weather like?

Mild all year, with a grey marine layer on late spring and early summer mornings that usually burns off by midday.

Which neighborhoods are hardest to move into?

Naples, Belmont Shore, and downtown high-rises — narrow lanes, permit parking, and reserved elevator windows respectively.

How long does a move from the Bay Area take?

Usually one to two days in transit for about 400 miles, depending on the schedule and the delivery window.

Figures from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and CDTFA; reviewed September 2026.

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