Costa Mesa

What Costa Mesa actually is, measured

Costa Mesa is not one market. The MLS divides it into five areas, and those five behave differently enough that a citywide median is close to useless for valuing any specific house.

I pulled every listing recorded across all five Costa Mesa MLS areas over the last two years. That is 1,305 listings, 1,143 of them closed sales, which makes this the largest dataset on the site by a wide margin.

Citywide, closed sales ran $348,000 to $6,470,000 with a median of $1,485,000, at $848 per square foot, 1,690 square feet and a median lot of 6,650 square feet. Homes date from 1890 to 2027. The median sale took 13 days.

The finding: the median Costa Mesa sale closes at exactly the asking price

Of the 1,143 closed sales:

• 412 closed above the asking price.
• 181 closed at exactly the asking price.
• 550 closed below.

The median outcome is 0.00 percent, and 593 of 1,143 sales, 52 percent, met or beat the asking price.

The speed data is even more striking. One hundred and twelve sales closed at zero days on market. Five hundred and thirteen of 1,143, 45 percent, closed within ten days. Only 50 took more than a hundred.

Set that against the coastal end of the county from these guides. In Corona del Mar, 69 percent of sales closed below ask. In Newport Coast, 80 percent did, at a median of 3.92 percent under. Costa Mesa closes at zero, and nearly half of everything sells inside two weeks.

The practical instruction for a buyer is unambiguous. An offer meaningfully below asking on a well presented Costa Mesa house is very likely wasted. The leverage in this city is not in the negotiation, it is in choosing the right area, which is where the money actually is.

The five Costa Mesas

Here is every MLS area, using recorded closed sales:

• Eastside (C5), 323 sales. Median $1,900,000, range $699,000 to $6,470,000. 1,657 sf, $1,071 per square foot, 6,481 sf lot, 11 days, median year built 1964.
• Mesa Verde (C1), 234 sales. Median $1,759,000, range $630,000 to $4,350,000. 2,084 sf, $879 per square foot, 7,125 sf lot, 11 days, median year 1963.
• South Coast Metro (C3), 174 sales. Median $1,340,000, range $348,000 to $2,350,000. 1,787 sf, $720 per square foot, 6,120 sf lot, 13.5 days, median year 1972.
• Central Costa Mesa (C4), 185 sales. Median $1,300,000, range $463,000 to $2,415,000. 1,501 sf, $781 per square foot, 6,528 sf lot, 16 days, median year 1964.
• Westside (C2), 227 sales. Median $1,250,000, range $692,500 to $2,510,000. 1,589 sf, $737 per square foot, 7,150 sf lot, 13 days, median year 1978.

Two comparisons in that table are worth stopping on.

Eastside costs $1,071 per square foot and South Coast Metro costs $720. That is a 49 percent premium for the same city, on lots within 400 square feet of each other, and Eastside is also the faster of the two.

And the one almost nobody prices correctly: Westside lots are bigger than Eastside lots, 7,150 square feet against 6,481, and Westside houses sell for $650,000 less. Same city, same school district, more land, a third off. Whatever you think Eastside is worth, understand that you are not paying for the dirt.

The oldest houses cost the most per foot, and the new ones take twice as long

Splitting all 1,143 closed sales by the year the house was built:

• Built before 1960: 316 sales, median $1,597,000, 1,533 square feet, $1,070 per square foot, 7,199 square foot lot, 11 days.
• Built 1960 to 1969: 342 sales, median $1,600,000, 1,788 square feet, $868 per square foot, 6,510 square foot lot, 11 days.
• Built 1970 to 1999: 319 sales, median $1,139,000, 1,557 square feet, $721 per square foot, 6,104 square foot lot, 12 days.
• Built 2000 or later: 166 sales, median $1,574,950, 2,057 square feet, $761 per square foot, 4,530 square foot lot, 26.5 days.

Read the lot column. Every older cohort sits on 6,100 to 7,200 square feet. The 2000-and-later houses sit on 4,530. That is the whole story of the last twenty five years in this city: original parcels being subdivided into small lot infill.

And the new product does not get a premium for it. It closes at $761 per square foot against $1,070 for a pre-1960 house, and it takes more than twice as long to sell, 26.5 days against 11.

The buyer takeaway is the same one that shows up in every Costa Mesa neighborhood measured separately. The old small house on the big lot is the expensive purchase per square foot and the fast one. The new large house on the small lot is the cheap purchase per square foot and the slow one. Those are different products competing for different buyers, and comparing them on price per foot will mislead you every time.

Costa Mesa still has a real market under a million dollars

Two hundred and four of the 1,143 closed sales, 18 percent, closed below $1,000,000, at a median of $845,000.

The lowest recorded close in two years is $348,000 in South Coast Metro. The lowest current asking price citywide is $435,000.

That matters because it makes Costa Mesa one of the very few markets in coastal Orange County where a genuine entry level purchase still exists. For comparison, the lowest recorded close in Corona del Mar over the same window was $867,500, in Newport Coast $1,230,000, and on Lido Isle $2,100,000.

The sub-million inventory is concentrated in the attached product: South Coast Metro, the Iowa Street and Country Club Villas pockets of Mesa Verde, and the condominium tracts on the Westside.

Roughly two in five listings carry HOA dues

Five hundred of the 1,305 listings report an association fee. That is 38 percent, and it is not evenly spread.

The detached original tracts, which are most of Mesa Verde, most of the Eastside and most of Central Costa Mesa, overwhelmingly report none. Mesa Verde has fees on only 28 of 262 listings.

The dues are concentrated in two places: the older attached communities such as South Coast Metro, Country Club Villas and the Iowa Street units, and the recent small lot new construction, where a shared driveway and shared utilities require an association. On the Westside, 59 of the 62 homes built in 2015 or later report a fee.

So in Costa Mesa the association question tracks the vintage and the lot size, not the price. If you are buying a 1960s house on a 7,000 square foot lot you will usually have no dues. If you are buying a 2020 house on a 3,000 square foot lot you almost certainly will.

What is on the market right now

As of mid-September 2026: one hundred and five active listings and seven coming soon, thirty in the under contract range and twenty one pending.

Actives run $435,000 to $4,385,000.

Against 1,143 sales in two years, that inventory is roughly two months of supply, which is thin. Combined with a median sale time of 13 days and 52 percent of sales meeting or beating ask, this is a seller's market by every measure I can take from the records.

The two highest recorded closes are both on the Eastside: 361 22nd Street at $6,470,000, a 2007 build, and a 2025 build at $5,500,000.

The Costa Mesa neighborhood guides

The area figures above are still averages of many different tracts. These are the individual Costa Mesa neighborhoods measured in detail, each with its own guide:

• Eastside Costa Mesa, the largest and most expensive area, where pre-1960 houses trade at $1,328 per square foot in 10 days.
• Mesa Verde, where 79 percent of recent sales were built between 1955 and 1969.
• Westside Costa Mesa, where original lots are being cut roughly in half and 95 percent of new construction carries dues.
• South Coast Metro, where townhomes are both the cheapest per foot and the fastest to sell.
• Mesa del Mar, at a median 7 days on market, the fastest tract measured anywhere.
• Halecrest, where homes under 1,400 square feet and homes over 1,700 both closed at a median of $1,300,000.
• Freedom Homes, where 26 of 35 recent sales were built in 1954.
• College Park, where five homes traded twice in two years and every one resold higher.
• The State Streets, where 575 more square feet cost only $57,500 more.

What I would check before writing an offer in Costa Mesa

• Establish which of the five areas the address is in before you look at any comparable. Eastside medians $1,900,000 and Westside medians $1,250,000, and the Westside lots are bigger.
• Do not open low. The median sale closes at exactly the asking price and 52 percent meet or beat it. Forty five percent of all sales close within ten days.
• Where you do have leverage is on the new construction. It takes a median of 26.5 days against 11 for the original stock.
• Check the lot size against the vintage. A 2000-and-later house here medians a 4,530 square foot lot; anything older medians 6,100 to 7,200.
• Ask about dues rather than assuming. Thirty eight percent of listings carry them, concentrated in attached communities and small lot new builds.
• Do not compare price per square foot across areas or vintages. It runs $720 in South Coast Metro and $1,071 on the Eastside, and $761 for new construction against $1,070 for pre-1960.
• Read the neighborhood guide for the specific tract. The area medians above still hide very large differences between tracts inside them.
• Verify school assignment with the district directly. Boundaries are set by Newport Mesa Unified and they do change.

Frequently asked questions about Costa Mesa

What do homes sell for in Costa Mesa?
1,143 closed sales over the last two years ranged $348,000 to $6,470,000 with a citywide median of $1,485,000. By area the medians run from $1,250,000 on the Westside to $1,900,000 on the Eastside.

Which part of Costa Mesa is most expensive?
The Eastside, at a median of $1,900,000 and $1,071 per square foot. Mesa Verde is next at $1,759,000.

Which part is least expensive?
The Westside at a median of $1,250,000, then Central Costa Mesa at $1,300,000 and South Coast Metro at $1,340,000. South Coast Metro has the lowest recorded close at $348,000.

Why does the Eastside cost more than the Westside if the lots are smaller?
That is exactly the anomaly. Eastside lots median 6,481 square feet and Westside lots median 7,150, and Eastside houses still close for about $650,000 more. The premium is about position and demand rather than land.

How fast do homes sell in Costa Mesa?
Median 13 days. One hundred and twelve of 1,143 closed sales went at zero days on market and 513, or 45 percent, closed within ten days. Only 50 took more than a hundred.

Do homes sell above asking price in Costa Mesa?
Frequently. Four hundred and twelve of 1,143 closed above list and another 181 closed at exactly list, so 52 percent of sales met or beat the asking price. The median outcome is 0.00 percent.

Is Costa Mesa a seller's market?
By the recorded numbers, yes. The median sale closes at ask in 13 days, half of all sales meet or beat ask, and current inventory is roughly two months of supply.

Can you still buy a home in Costa Mesa under $1,000,000?
Yes. Two hundred and four of 1,143 recent closed sales, 18 percent, closed below a million, at a median of $845,000. The lowest current asking price is $435,000. That inventory is mostly attached homes in South Coast Metro, Mesa Verde and the Westside.

What is the price per square foot in Costa Mesa?
Citywide median $848, but by area it runs $720 in South Coast Metro, $737 on the Westside, $781 in Central Costa Mesa, $879 in Mesa Verde and $1,071 on the Eastside.

How old are Costa Mesa homes?
Recorded sales span 1890 to 2027. Three hundred and sixteen recent sales were built before 1960, 342 in the 1960s, 319 between 1970 and 1999 and 166 in 2000 or later.

Is new construction a good buy in Costa Mesa?
It is cheaper per square foot and larger, at $761 per foot and 2,057 square feet against $1,070 and 1,533 for a pre-1960 house. But it sits on a 4,530 square foot lot rather than 7,199, and it takes 26.5 days to sell rather than 11. They are different products.

Do Costa Mesa homes have HOA dues?
Thirty eight percent of listings report a fee. The original detached tracts mostly report none, while attached communities and recent small lot construction almost always do. On the Westside, 59 of 62 homes built in 2015 or later carry a fee.

How big are Costa Mesa lots?
Citywide median 6,650 square feet. By area, Westside 7,150, Mesa Verde 7,125, Central 6,528, Eastside 6,481 and South Coast Metro 6,120.

What are the five Costa Mesa MLS areas?
C1 Mesa Verde, C2 Southwest or Westside Costa Mesa, C3 South Coast Metro, C4 Central Costa Mesa and C5 East Costa Mesa. Each behaves differently enough that using a citywide figure to value a specific house will mislead you.

Which Costa Mesa neighborhood sells fastest?
Mesa del Mar, at a median of 7 days on market, is the fastest tract measured anywhere in these guides. Freedom Homes at 9 days and Mesa Bluffs at 7 are close behind.

What is the most expensive sale recorded in Costa Mesa recently?
361 22nd Street on the Eastside at $6,470,000, a 2007 build.

How much inventory is there right now?As of mid-September 2026, one hundred and five active listings from $435,000 to $4,385,000, seven more coming soon, plus thirty under contract and twenty one pending. Against 1,143 sales in two years that is roughly two months of supply.

How does Costa Mesa compare to Newport Beach?
Very differently on both price and behaviour. Costa Mesa medians $1,485,000 and closes at ask in 13 days. Newport Beach communities measured for these guides median between $1,465,000 and $20,000,000 and mostly close below ask, with several taking a median of two to seven months.

Which school district serves Costa Mesa?
Newport Mesa Unified School District. Attendance boundaries are set by the district and do change, so confirm your specific address with the district rather than relying on any listing or portal.

Where does the data on this page come from?
The California Regional MLS, covering every listing recorded across all five Costa Mesa MLS areas over the last two years, using recorded closed sales rather than list prices or automated estimates, with area assignment, dues, dues frequency and list versus close prices read from the structured fields on individual listings. Figures are current as of the last update to this page and should be verified for any specific property.