Bel Air is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles; Beverly Hills is its own city. Prices overlap (Zillow put Bel Air's typical value at $4.14M and the City of Beverly Hills' at $3.68M in September 2026) and property tax rates are within 0.004 points of each other, but a $20M sale in Bel Air pays $1.1M of Measure ULA that the same sale in Beverly Hills doesn't. Confirm the city for any address before you price it, because a 90210 mailing address can sit on either side.
You're choosing between Bel Air and Beverly Hills for a purchase, or deciding where to list, and need to know what the city line changes in money and rules.
At a glance
| Bel Air | Neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles; ZIP 90077 |
|---|---|
| Beverly Hills | Separate city, incorporated 1914; 5.7 sq mi |
| Measure ULA | Applies in Bel Air, not in Beverly Hills |
| Property tax, 2026-27 | 1.185825% (TRA 67) vs 1.189084% (TRA 2410) |
| Schools | LAUSD vs BHUSD |
Bel Air vs Beverly Hills: the short answer
Pick by the tax and the rules, then by the house. The two areas share a price range, a hillside landscape and a fire hazard map, so the differences that cost money come from the city line. Bel Air is inside the City of Los Angeles, where Measure ULA adds 4% or 5.5% to sales over $5.4M. Beverly Hills is a separate city where ULA doesn't apply.
| Bel Air | Beverly Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| City | Los Angeles | Beverly Hills |
| Measure ULA on a $20M sale | $1,100,000 | None |
| Property tax rate, 2026-27 | 1.185825% (TRA 67) | 1.189084% (TRA 2410) |
| Zillow typical value, Sept 2026 | $4,140,242 (Bel Air neighborhood) | $3,676,482 (city) |
| Fire department | City of Los Angeles | Beverly Hills Fire Department, ISO Class 1 |
| School district | LAUSD | BHUSD |
| Hillside building rules | LA Baseline Hillside Ordinance | Beverly Hills Hillside Area code |
If you might sell within a few years at more than $5.4M, the tax gap is the biggest number in the comparison. If you're holding for the long run, the two areas' running costs are close, and the choice comes down to the house, the lot and what the rules let you build.
Bel Air vs Beverly Hills prices in 2026
Neither area has one price. Beverly Hills runs from the flats to Trousdale Estates, and Bel Air from canyon lots to estates of many acres. The figures below are labeled by the boundary they cover, and that boundary matters more than the headline.
Typical values from Zillow
| Zillow area | Typical value, Sept 2026 | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| The Flats (Beverly Hills) | $10,277,281 | +15.8% |
| Trousdale Estates (Beverly Hills) | $7,906,445 | +8.6% |
| ZIP 90210 | $5,308,262 | +10.3% |
| Bel Air neighborhood (Los Angeles) | $4,140,242 | +6.0% |
| City of Beverly Hills | $3,676,482 | +9.3% |
| ZIP 90077 (Bel Air) | $3,061,985 | +4.3% |
Zillow's typical home value tracks the middle third of homes in each boundary. Beverly Hills' city figure covers the whole city, so enclave figures like the flats and Trousdale can sit well above it. If you're weighing an apartment rather than a house, our Beverly Hills condo and penthouse guide covers the towers on both sides of the line.
Recent sales from Redfin
Redfin's median sale price for the City of Beverly Hills was $4,029,331 in September 2026, from 73 sales, with homes closing at 95.1% of list on average. In ZIP 90077, it was $3,322,524 from 25 sales, at 94.1% of list. Small samples swing, so read a single month as a snapshot, not a trend.
Why 90210 doesn't mean Beverly Hills
Only about 37.8% of the land in ZIP 90210 is in the City of Beverly Hills, per the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP-to-place file; about 60.5% is in the City of Los Angeles. The Census geocoder places the North Beverly Park entrance, at a Beverly Hills 90210 mailing address, in the City of Los Angeles. Run any address through the Census geocoder and read the Incorporated Places line. Our ZIP code guide maps the split.
Transfer tax, Bel Air vs Beverly Hills, at $5M to $40M
This is where the two areas part. For sales closing after June 30, 2026, Measure ULA is 4% on Los Angeles sales over $5.4M and under $10.9M, and 5.5% at $10.9M or more, on the whole price. Add the city's 0.45% base tax and the County's $1.10 per $1,000. In Beverly Hills, the County Recorder's table shows the standard County rate and no special city rate.
| Sale price | Bel Air: city + County | Beverly Hills: County rate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000,000 | $28,000 | $5,500 | $22,500 |
| $8,000,000 | $364,800 | $8,800 | $356,000 |
| $12,000,000 | $727,200 | $13,200 | $714,000 |
| $20,000,000 | $1,212,000 | $22,000 | $1,190,000 |
| $40,000,000 | $2,424,000 | $44,000 | $2,380,000 |
The Beverly Hills Municipal Code has its own real property transfer tax article, and we couldn't open its text to confirm a rate, so ask escrow whether any city amount applies to your sale.
The Measure ULA cliffs
Because ULA hits the whole price, there are bands where a Bel Air seller nets less by selling higher: from $5.4M to about $5.63M, and from $10.9M to about $11.07M. Beverly Hills has no such bands. Our guide to the Los Angeles mansion tax has a calculator for any price.
A $20M worked example
Two houses each sell for $20M. In Bel Air, the seller's transfer tax bill is about $1,212,000. In Beverly Hills, the County portion is $22,000. That $1.19M difference is roughly 6% of the price. Who pays the tax is set in the purchase contract, so check the allocation with your escrow officer before you compare offers.
Property tax, Bel Air vs Beverly Hills
Property tax is the one cost where the city line barely matters. Both areas pay the 1% general levy under Proposition 13 plus voter-approved debt rates, and the totals land within a few thousandths of a point.
TRA 67 vs TRA 2410
Tax Rate Area 67, covering sample points in Bel Air, has a 2026-27 rate of 1.185825%. Tax Rate Area 2410, central Beverly Hills, is 1.189084%. On a $10M home, that's about $118,600 against $118,900 a year, before direct assessments. Read the exact TRA on the parcel's bill; ours are from sample points.
Supplemental bills after you buy
In both areas, a purchase triggers a supplemental assessment for the gap between your price and the old assessed value, prorated to June 30. Budget for one or two extra bills in the first year. Our Beverly Hills property tax estimator works for either side.
City services: Beverly Hills vs Los Angeles
Beverly Hills is a full-service city of 5.7 square miles with its own police and fire departments and a five-member City Council. Bel Air is served by the City of Los Angeles and sits in a neighborhood council area.
Fire and police
The Beverly Hills Fire Department runs three stations, answers more than 8,600 incidents a year and is rated Class 1 by the Insurance Services Office. Ask your insurer whether it uses that rating in the quote. Bel Air is served by the City of Los Angeles' departments; we couldn't confirm which stations from an official page, so check the nearest one for the address.
Who you go to: City Council vs neighborhood council
In Beverly Hills, policy is set by the five-member City Council, with the Mayor chosen from it each year. Bel Air sits in the Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council area, which runs from Laurel Canyon to the 405 and from Sunset to Mulholland, with more than 35 residential associations including the Bel-Air Association.
Building rules: Beverly Hills vs Bel Air hillsides
If you're buying land or a teardown, the building code changes the price of the lot more than anything else on this page.
Height and size limits
In the Beverly Hills Hillside Area, homes top out at 26 feet, or 30 feet within a stepped envelope, and total floor area including basements is capped at 15,000 square feet without a Hillside R-1 permit. Trousdale Estates is held to 14 feet. In Bel Air, Los Angeles caps floor area by slope band, with ratios down to zero on the steepest ground in some zones.
Grading limits
Beverly Hills allows no more than 3,000 cubic yards of import or export from a hillside site in any five years, or 1,500 on a street under 24 feet wide. Los Angeles caps cut and fill at 1,000 cubic yards plus 10% of the lot size, and needs a separate approval for building on a hillside street under 20 feet wide.
Views and hedges
Without a Hillside R-1 permit, Beverly Hills' hillside code bars height over 14 feet that would substantially disrupt a basin view from a neighbor's pad within 300 feet, and Trousdale has a view restoration ordinance for foliage. Those ordinances don't apply outside the city limits, so they don't protect a Bel Air view; ask the seller whether any private covenant does. For the enclave rules, see Trousdale Estates.
Schools and fire zones: Bel Air vs Beverly Hills
School district lookups
Bel Air is in LAUSD; check an address with LAUSD's Resident School Identifier. For Beverly Hills, use BHUSD's School Finder; a 'No results found' answer means the address is outside the district. Our schools guide covers both.
Fire hazard maps on both sides
The City of Beverly Hills says the area north of Sunset, plus a few blocks south, is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the County's map shows Very High at sample points in Bel Air too. A sample point in the Beverly Hills flats near City Hall isn't zoned. The hazard zoning doesn't separate the two hillside areas; the flats are the exception. See our insurance guide for cover above the FAIR Plan's $3M residential limit.
Bel Air vs Beverly Hills: which fits your plan
Here are our picks by situation, with the catch for each.
If you might sell above $5.4M within a few years
Beverly Hills keeps more of the sale price, since ULA doesn't apply. The catch: the flats and Trousdale cost more per typical home, per Zillow.
If you plan a large new hillside house
Compare the two codes on the actual lot. Beverly Hills' 15,000 square foot hillside cap and 3,000 cubic yard grading limit can be tighter or looser than LA's slope-band rules depending on the land.
If the house is the point, not the address
Bel Air's typical value sits a little above the City of Beverly Hills' figure, and its record sales show deep discounts from asking. The catch is the tax when you sell. For the houses across the line, start with our overview of Beverly Hills homes, and for Bel Air, our Bel Air homes guide. If you'd like a local agent to compare specific houses, see the agent we feature for both areas.
Bel Air vs Beverly Hills FAQs
Is Bel Air part of Beverly Hills?
No. Bel Air is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, and its ZIP, 90077, lies entirely inside Los Angeles. Beverly Hills is a separate city, incorporated in 1914, with its own police, fire department, school district and building code.
Which is more expensive, Bel Air or Beverly Hills?
It depends on the boundary. Zillow's typical value in September 2026 was $4,140,242 for its Bel Air neighborhood and $3,676,482 for the City of Beverly Hills, but $10,277,281 for the Beverly Hills flats and $7,906,445 for Trousdale Estates. Redfin's September median was $4,029,331 in Beverly Hills and $3,322,524 in ZIP 90077.
Does the LA mansion tax apply in Beverly Hills?
No. Measure ULA applies only to property in the City of Los Angeles. Beverly Hills is a separately incorporated city, so ULA does not apply there. Bel Air, Holmby Hills and Beverly Crest are in Los Angeles, so sales there over $5.4M pay ULA of 4% or 5.5%.
Is property tax higher in Bel Air or Beverly Hills?
They are almost the same. For 2026-27, Tax Rate Area 67 in Bel Air is 1.185825% and Tax Rate Area 2410 in central Beverly Hills is 1.189084%. On a $10M home the difference is about $300 a year, before direct assessments. Check the TRA on the parcel's bill.
Is a 90210 address always in Beverly Hills?
No. About 60.5% of ZIP 90210's land is in the City of Los Angeles, per the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP-to-place file. The North Beverly Park entrance has a Beverly Hills 90210 address but is in the City of Los Angeles. Check any address in the Census geocoder and read the Incorporated Places line before you rely on the mailing address.
Do Bel Air and Beverly Hills use the same schools?
No. Bel Air is in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and addresses in the City of Beverly Hills are checked against Beverly Hills Unified. Use LAUSD's Resident School Identifier or BHUSD's School Finder with the exact address; a 'No results found' answer from BHUSD means the address is outside its district.
How much more transfer tax does a Bel Air seller pay?
At $20M, a Bel Air sale pays about $1,212,000 in city and County transfer tax, including $1.1M of Measure ULA. The County portion in Beverly Hills is $22,000. At $8M, the Bel Air total is $364,800 against $8,800, for sales closing from July 1, 2026.
Sources
- City of Los Angeles Office of Finance: Measure ULA FAQ
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder: Documentary Transfer Taxes
- City of Beverly Hills FAQ: When was the City incorporated?
- City of Beverly Hills: About Beverly Hills
- City of Beverly Hills: Fire Department
- City of Beverly Hills: About the Fire Department
- Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller: Tax Rates by TRA (TRA 67 and 2410, FY 2026-27)
- California State Board of Equalization: Publication 29, California Property Tax
- California State Board of Equalization: Supplemental Assessment
- Zillow Home Value Index (city, neighborhood and ZIP), September 2026, via site data file
- Redfin Data Center: Beverly Hills and ZIP 90077 monthly market data, September 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 ZCTA to Place relationship file
- U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder: 13100 Mulholland Dr
- Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council
- Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council Bylaws
- Beverly Hills Municipal Code Art. 25, Hillside Area (gocodebook copy)
- Beverly Hills Municipal Code Art. 26, Trousdale Estates (gocodebook copy)
- City of Beverly Hills: Trousdale Estates View Restoration
- Los Angeles City Planning: Hillside Area Development Standards (CP-4061)
- LAUSD: Resident School Identifier
- BHUSD: School Finder
- City of Beverly Hills FAQ: What and where is the VHFHSZ?
- Los Angeles County GIS: Fire Hazard Severity Zones (LRA)
- California Department of Insurance: California FAIR Plan