11 Pros & Cons of Living in Huntington Beach, CA

Huntington Beach, CA, is rated by Niche as one of the Best Places to Live in the U.S. About 37 miles south of Los Angeles, the city is known as one of the best places to surf in the country. Indeed, Huntington Beach is so well known for great waves that the locals have taken to calling it “Surf City.” The weather is excellent throughout the year here, and there’s a ton of fun, exciting nightlife. On the other hand, the cost of living in Huntington Beach, CA, leaves a lot to be desired. Crime and safety could use a slight improvement, too.

If you’re moving to Huntington Beach, CA, soon, you likely want to know more about your new hometown. That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly (although there’s not much ugly, to be sure). If that’s the kind of actionable information you’re searching for today, read on! We’ve got the notable pros and cons of living in Huntington Beach, CA, coming right up!

PRO: Public Schools in Huntington Beach, CA

If you’ve got young children, you’ll be pleased to know that our town, has top-rated public schools. (Niche gives them an A, which any student will tell you is a fantastic grade.) There are a whopping 49 public schools in the city, and 29 of them are rated an A or higher! They include Jack L. Weaver Elementary School, the #24 Best Elementary Schools in the entire state. Richard Lee Henry Elementary School is here also, and it’s the #28 Best Elementary School in California. More schools are rated highly here, so you can rest assured your child gets an excellent head start. Some of the other excellent schools in Huntington Beach, CA, include:

Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Seacliff Elementary School
William T. Newland Elementary School
Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School
Isaac L. Sowers Middle School
Edison High School

CON: Cost of Living in Huntington Beach is Expensive

With an overall cost index of 184/100, the cost of living in Huntington Beach is one of the highest in the U.S. Now, most costs here are right around the national average. However, there’s one much higher cost, which is the cost of housing. With a cost index of 360/100, housing costs are 260% higher than the national average. That’s a massive extra cost, no matter who you are or what your family citation might be. The median home cost in Huntington Beach is a whopping $1,013,000! That’s over $700,000 more than the national average and a massive addition to your monthly expenses.

Many folks living here rent a storage unit to save money. How? They buy or rent a smaller home and store their extra things in a self-storage unit. Once they’re earning enough, they purchase a larger home and take their items back out of storage.

Store Your Stuff at 18100 Kovacs Ln. in Huntington Beach, CA

Rent a Unit Online

PRO: Huntington Beach, CA is Rated Highly for Families

One of the best reasons to move to Huntington Beach, CA, is that the city is perfect for families. That’s not a surprise seeing as the schools are excellent and the crime rate is low. The plethora of outdoor activities also helps with the high diversity and exciting nightlife. (The adults need things to do, too!) If you’re moving here with younger kids, the lifestyle will be very pleasing indeed.

PRO: Crime is Relatively Low in Huntington Beach, CA

Crime, unfortunately, is a problem in practically every city and town in the United States. The excellent news about Huntington Beach, CA, is that the crime rates are lower than average. For example, the U.S. average for violent crime is 22.7%, while the average in Huntington Beach is 14%, significantly lower. Property crime, while not perfect, is also lower than the national average. However, it’s only slightly lower at 34.4% instead of 35.4%. Still, it’s nice to know that crime here isn’t a huge or overwhelming problem as in some other cities. Our lower crime rate is one of the top pros and cons of living in Huntington Beach, CA!

CON: Commute Time in Huntington Beach, CA is Long

You’ve probably heard that Los Angeles, CA, has a huge traffic problem. (They do.) That problem extends here, also, unfortunately, causing significant traffic delays regularly. The commute is just under 40 minutes, about 13 minutes longer than the national average. That’s a lot of time to be stuck staring out your car’s front window; we think you’ll agree.

CON: High Transportation Costs in Huntington Beach

We’ve talked about how the commute time here is a long one. That problem, in turn, causes another; high transportation costs which contribute to the cost of living in Huntington Beach. With a cost index of 118/100, we’re almost 20% higher than the national average. That’s 20% more you’ll need to pay for gasoline, oil, and other fuels. You’ll also get dinged for car repairs and maintenance, and road taxes and fees are 20% higher. (If you work from home, you can ignore this con, thank goodness.)

PRO: Weather in Huntington Beach, CA is Phenomenal

They say it never rains in southern California, which is very close to accurate. There are only about 30 days with precipitation, leaving over 300 days a year to enjoy the sunshine! Snow? You’ll never see any of the white stuff here. (That’s just fine for the majority of the folks who live here.) There are no days at or below freezing in Huntington Beach, CA! That’s probably why the city has a comfort index of 9.7/10, one of the best in the world. It means Huntington Beach never gets too hot or cold but is almost always just right. For most folks who live here, the weather is practically perfect. It’s also one of the top pros of pros and cons of living in Huntington Beach, CA!

CON: However, There is Severe Weather at Times

Over the last few years, southern California has seen its fair share of severe weather. That includes severe drought and heat and the risk of forest fires. Oil spills off the coast are also a problem, occasionally soiling the beaches quite severely. Lastly, while not a huge problem, the occasional fierce thunderstorm can still be challenging.

PRO: There are Plenty of Sports Teams Here

As we mentioned above, Huntington Beach, CA, is about 37 miles from Los Angeles if you’re a sports fanatic, as LA has some phenomenal sports teams! There’s the newly relocated LA Rams, for example, and the LA Chargers of the NFL. The LA Dodgers are one of the perennial favorites of the MLB and the Angels. Of course, there are several more, and all are very close to Huntington Beach! In short, there’s no lack of great sports teams to cheer on when you live here!

CON: We’re at High Risk for Earthquakes

One of the biggest fears many folks in Huntington beach have is the “big one.” That’s the big earthquake predicted for years due to the Wilmington Blind-Thrust Fault. (It’s a fault line similar to the San Andreas fault line further north.) The Wilmington Blind-Thrust Fault is 13 miles long and runs right through the city! Statistically speaking, the chance of a 5.0 magnitude earthquake hitting Huntington Beach is 93%. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake? The likelihood of it happening here is 70%, which is much higher than most people like to see.

PRO: The U.S. Open Surfing Championship

We’ve already talked about how the locals know Huntington Beach, CA, as Surf City. That’s because of the great waves we get here at the beach, of course. Those waves are so good that here that we host the U.S. Open Surfing Championship every year! The best surfers from around the globe come to compete in the lead-up to the World Surfing Championships! It’s also why there are plenty of surf shops here selling top-quality wetsuits.

Huntington Beach, CA Has More Pros Than Cons!

We think you’ll agree Huntington Beach, CA, has more pros than cons. While the cost of living might be a drawback, many other factors make it a wonderful place to live. They include excellent schools, beautiful weather, a wide variety of outdoor activities, and more.

If you’re moving here sometime soon, reserving a storage unit in Huntington Beach, CA, is a good choice. The idea is that, once you arrive, you can store your things safely right away. That gives you more time to search for a home to call your own.

If you have questions about renting a storage unit, you can chat with us online. You can also visit one of our five self-storage locations in Huntington Beach, CA. They all have an onsite manager that can answer all of your questions. They can also advise you on which storage unit in Huntington Beach is best for your needs. Until then, we hope that the information we’ve given you today has been beneficial. Best of luck with your move to lovely Huntington Beach, California!