Long Beach vs Richmond
The short version
- Long Beach is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Richmond area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $668,200 in Richmond and $806,600 in Long Beach.
- Households earn more in Richmond ($95,391 vs $87,430 median).
- Long Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 58°F.
- Richmond is growing faster: -1.2% since 2020 vs -3.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Long Beach (30 vs 34 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Long Beach, CA | Richmond, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 450,469 | 114,861 |
| Growth since 2020 | -3.5% | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 8,890 | 3,823 |
| Median age | 37.1 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 33% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $87,430 | $95,391 |
| Median home value | $806,600 | $668,200 |
| Home value to income | 9.2× | 7.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,871 | $1,960 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.9 | 34.2 |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 8% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 8.3% |
| Poverty rate | 14.8% | 13.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 47° | 58° / 44° |
| July high / low | 77° / 62° | 71° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 24 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | -4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +8.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Long Beach: January to December. Richmond: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Long Beach weather by month and Richmond weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Long Beach and $86,700 in Richmond. Moving from Long Beach to Richmond, you would need about $76,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Long Beach and Richmond
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Long Beach and Richmond.
Which would you pick?
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