Long Distance

Moving From San Diego to Long Beach, CA: The 2026 Guide

Is Long Beach safe, and is it cheaper than San Diego? Compare home prices, rent and neighborhoods, then plan your 110-mile move up I-5. Updated for 2026.

November 5, 2026 5 min read Back to Blog

Long Beach is a port city of about 451,000 people, roughly 110 miles north of San Diego on the way to Los Angeles. Homes and rent cost less than in the city of San Diego, though incomes are lower too. Safety varies a lot from one neighborhood to the next, so this guide shows you how to check an address before you sign a lease or make an offer.

Long Beach vs. San Diego at a Glance

	Long Beach	City of San Diego
Population	450,901 (2024 estimate)	1,404,452 (2024 estimate)
Median home value	$806,600	$906,700
Median rent	$1,871 a month	$2,313 a month
Median household income	$87,430	$108,077
Homes lived in by their owners	41%	47%

These are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2020 to 2024, so today's asking prices run higher in both cities.

Is Long Beach Safe?

Long Beach is a large, varied city, so the honest answer is that it depends on the neighborhood. Like most big cities, it has blocks with more property and violent crime and quiet residential areas where many families live. The useful question is how safe the specific street you're considering is.

How to check before you commit:

Open the Long Beach Police Department's crime dashboard. Its Beat Explorer page maps crime by police beat, and the trend pages compare this year with last.
Look up the exact address on the LBPD crime incident map. It shows the last six months of reported incidents and is updated weekly.
Visit at night and on a weekend. Then talk to a few neighbors.
Compare like with like. In San Diego County, the regional ARJIS data on Crimemapping.com lets you look up your current neighborhood the same way.

Cost of Living: Long Beach vs. San Diego

Housing costs less in Long Beach. Census figures put the median home value about 11% below the city of San Diego's and median rent about 19% lower. Median household income is about 19% lower as well, and a smaller share of residents own their homes.

Everyday costs are similar to the rest of coastal Southern California. One practical difference: in Long Beach, gas and water come from Long Beach Utilities and electricity from Southern California Edison, rather than SDG&E.

Long Beach Neighborhoods

Belmont Shore and Naples: beach living, the shops and restaurants on 2nd Street, and Naples' canals. Mostly older homes and apartments, with tight street parking.
Downtown and the East Village: high-rise and mid-rise apartments, the waterfront, restaurants and the Metro A Line to downtown Los Angeles.
Bixby Knolls and California Heights: tree-lined streets with older single-family homes.
Los Altos and El Dorado Park: suburban streets near Cal State Long Beach and El Dorado Regional Park.
North Long Beach: some of the city's lower housing costs.

Beaches, Air Quality and Daily Life

Beaches: a federal breakwater keeps Long Beach's water calm. That's good for paddleboarding and kayaking, less so for surfing. Mother's Beach in Naples is an enclosed swimming beach, and Rosie's Dog Beach is an off-leash beach for dogs.
Air quality: the Los Angeles–Long Beach area consistently ranks among the most ozone-polluted metro areas in the American Lung Association's State of the Air report, and the ports add truck and ship traffic. If anyone in your household has asthma, compare neighborhoods near the port and freeways with those farther away.
Jobs: the Port of Long Beach, healthcare, Cal State Long Beach and a growing space industry, with companies such as Rocket Lab and Relativity Space based in the city.
Getting around: Long Beach Transit buses, the Metro A Line to downtown Los Angeles, and Long Beach Airport for domestic flights.

Planning Your Move From San Diego to Long Beach

The drive is about 110 miles via I-5 and I-405, so most households are loaded and delivered in one day. Because the move stays inside California, it is an intrastate move. Hire a household mover licensed by the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services, which issues each mover a permit (Cal-T) number you can look up.

Leave San Diego early. You want to clear Orange County before the afternoon rush on I-5 and I-405.
Plan truck parking. Belmont Shore, Naples and Downtown have tight street parking, so ask your building about loading zones and whether your street needs a temporary parking permit.
Reserve the elevator. High-rises usually require a reserved service elevator and a certificate of insurance from your mover.
Set up utilities. Gas and water through Long Beach Utilities, electricity through Southern California Edison.
Update the DMV. California asks you to report a new address within 10 days.
Line up storage if your dates don't match. Short-term storage bridges a gap between leases or closings.

Move to Long Beach With Oakley Relocation

Oakley Relocation has moved Southern California households since 2008 as an agent for North American Van Lines. We handle moves within California, packing and storage from start to finish. Request a free quote and we'll set up an in-home or virtual survey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Long Beach safe?

It depends on the neighborhood. Check the LBPD crime dashboard and incident map for the exact address, and visit at different times before you commit.

Is Long Beach cheaper than San Diego?

For housing, yes. Census figures put home values about 11% lower and rent about 19% lower than in the city of San Diego, though incomes are about 19% lower too.

How far is Long Beach from San Diego?

About 110 miles, or roughly two hours without traffic via I-5 and I-405.

Long Beach or San Diego: which is better?

It depends on what you value. Long Beach costs less and puts Los Angeles within reach; San Diego has higher incomes, surf beaches and better air quality.

How much does it cost to move from San Diego to Long Beach?

It depends on how much you're moving, access at both homes and extras like packing or storage. A free in-home or virtual survey gets you a written estimate based on your actual move.