Living in Beverly Hills is expensive mainly because the homes are: Zillow put the city's typical home value at $3,676,482 in September 2026, about four times the Los Angeles County figure. Once you own, property tax is the biggest yearly bill, about $59,454 on a $5 million purchase at the 2026-27 rate of 1.189084%, while the city's water, sewer, stormwater and trash charges on a large lot come to around $9,400 a year.
You're weighing a Beverly Hills purchase and want the yearly cost of owning it, line by line, before you settle on a price.
At a glance
| Typical home value, City of Beverly Hills | $3,676,482 (Zillow, September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Median sale price, Beverly Hills | $4,029,331 on 73 sales (Redfin, September 2026) |
| Property tax rate, central Beverly Hills (TRA 2410) | 1.189084% (FY 2026-27) |
| Population | 32,116 (California Department of Finance, January 1, 2026) |
| Land area | 5.708 square miles (Census 2020) |
| Fire department | City-run, three stations, ISO Class 1 |
Is living in Beverly Hills expensive? What a $5 million house costs a year
Yes, and nearly all of it comes from the price of the house. The ongoing bills the city sends are modest next to the property tax, and the property tax is a fixed share of what you paid. So the useful question isn't how expensive the city is but how expensive your purchase is.
The table puts the main yearly lines side by side for a $5 million house on a 20,000 square foot flats lot. The utility line uses the worked example further down. Insurance and HOA dues are left as quotes because we don't estimate them.
| Yearly cost | $5 million house | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax (before direct assessments) | $59,454 | 1.189084% of price, TRA 2410, FY 2026-27 |
| Water, sewer, stormwater, trash | About $9,364 | City FY 2026-27 rates, worked example below |
| Home insurance | Get a quote | Depends on house, zone and insurer |
| HOA dues, if any | Ask the HOA | Not published for most enclaves |
The cost of living scales with the price you pay
Double the price and the property tax doubles, while the water and trash bills barely move. On $10 million the tax is $118,908; on $25 million it's $297,271. A buyer comparing a $5 million house with a $10 million one is comparing about $59,000 a year of extra tax, and that gap matters more than any city fee.
A loan changes the yearly bill more than anything else
If you finance, the mortgage dwarfs every other line. At the Freddie Mac 30-year average of 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026, an $8 million purchase with 30% down carries principal and interest of about $38,164 a month. Jumbo pricing differs from that conforming average, so model your own terms on the jumbo mortgage calculator.
Why living in Beverly Hills costs so much
The record points to a small, fixed supply of land inside a separate city. Beverly Hills has 5.708 square miles of land, surrounded by Los Angeles and West Hollywood. The state counted 16,405 housing units there on January 1, 2026, up from 16,346 a year earlier. That's 59 more homes in a year.
A separate city with its own services
Beverly Hills incorporated in 1914 and runs its own police and fire departments. The fire department has three stations and an ISO Class 1 rating. A buyer pays for the city line in the price, and it shows up in rules too: Measure ULA, the City of Los Angeles transfer tax, doesn't apply to a sale inside Beverly Hills. Our Beverly Hills and Bel Air comparison sets out what changes across that line.
Building rules that keep homes large
The city's Housing Element says single-family homes must be at least 1,600 square feet, and large projects need Planning Commission review. In the hillside area, floor area including basements is capped at 15,000 square feet without a special permit. Rules like these shape what gets built on a lot, and so what a lot sells for.
How Beverly Hills compares on home values
Zillow's typical home value in September 2026 was $3,676,482 for the City of Beverly Hills, against $871,674 for Los Angeles County and $761,538 for California. The city figure rose 9.3% over the year. More price data by ZIP and neighborhood is on our Beverly Hills housing market page.
| Area (Zillow, September 2026) | Typical home value | Change over the year |
|---|---|---|
| The Flats (Zillow neighborhood) | $10,277,281 | +15.8% |
| Trousdale Estates (Zillow neighborhood) | $7,906,445 | +8.6% |
| ZIP 90210 (Beverly Hills and City of LA parts) | $5,308,262 | +10.3% |
| City of Beverly Hills | $3,676,482 | +9.3% |
| Los Angeles County | $871,674 | +0.4% |
| California | $761,538 | +0.6% |
Read the city figure with care. Zillow's typical value tracks the middle third of homes across the whole city, not the houses at the top. A house in the Beverly Hills flats sits far above it.
Property tax: the biggest line in the cost of living in Beverly Hills
California's Proposition 13 sets the general tax at 1% of taxable value, plus voter-approved debt rates that vary by area. In central Beverly Hills, Tax Rate Area 2410, the total 2026-27 rate is 1.189084%. Your bill also carries direct assessments, which vary by parcel and aren't in that rate.
| Purchase price | Yearly tax at 1.189084% | Each installment |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000,000 | $59,454 | $29,727 |
| $10,000,000 | $118,908 | $59,454 |
| $25,000,000 | $297,271 | $148,636 |
Why a new owner pays more than the neighbor
Prop 13 limits yearly increases in a home's base value to 2%, and resets it on a change of ownership. A neighbor who bought decades ago may pay a fraction of your bill on a similar house. In the first year you'll also get one or two supplemental bills for the gap between the old value and your price.
Due dates for the 2026-27 bill
The first installment was due November 1, 2026 and is late after December 10, 2026. The second is due February 1, 2027 and is late after April 12, 2027. A late installment carries a 10% penalty. The full method, the $7,000 homeowners' exemption and Prop 19 transfers are on our Beverly Hills property tax estimator.
City water, sewer and trash bills for living in Beverly Hills
The City of Beverly Hills bills water, sewer, stormwater and trash every two months. Its FY 2026-27 schedule sets the rates below for single-family homes inside the city.
| Charge (FY 2026-27, bimonthly) | Rate |
|---|---|
| Water, Tier 1 (0 to 32 units) | $3.91 per 100 cubic feet |
| Water, Tier 2 (33 to 48 units) | $6.62 per 100 cubic feet |
| Water, Tier 3 (49 to 83 units) | $10.94 per 100 cubic feet |
| Water, Tier 4 (84 units and up) | $15.54 per 100 cubic feet |
| Water Reliability Charge | $0.30 per 100 cubic feet |
| Meter charge, 1 inch or smaller / 1 1/2 inch / 2 inch | $61.01 / $104.75 / $157.25 |
| Sewer | $49.54 per home plus $2.86 per 100 cubic feet on 52% of water use |
| Stormwater | $17.56 per home |
| Trash (refuse) | $0.01660 per square foot of lot; $0.01329 on qualifying hillside lots north of Sunset |
A worked bill for a 20,000 square foot flats lot
Say the house uses 100 units of water in a two-month period on a 1 1/2 inch meter. Water comes to $878.12 across the four tiers, plus $30.00 for reliability and $104.75 for the meter. Sewer is $49.54 plus $148.72 on 52 units, or $198.26. Add $17.56 for stormwater and $332.00 for trash on 20,000 square feet. The bill is $1,560.69, or about $9,364 a year.
Why the water tiers matter on a big lot
The top tier costs nearly four times the first. On a lot with lawns, a pool and mature trees, most of the bill comes from the units above 48. Ask the seller for a year of utility bills; it's the quickest way to see where a house sits on the tiers.
Trash is billed on lot size, not on use
Because refuse is charged by the square foot of lot, a large estate pays more for trash whatever it throws away. On a qualifying hillside lot the rate is lower: the same 20,000 square feet at $0.01329 would be $265.80 a bill. Your lot size is on the county assessor's record.
Insurance, HOA dues and other living costs that vary by street
Two costs we can't put a number on are often the ones that swing most from one house to the next. Get each as a written figure before you remove your contingencies.
Home insurance and fire zones
The city says the area north of Sunset Boulevard, plus a few blocks south, is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Insurance there can mean more than one policy, and we don't estimate premiums. How the California FAIR Plan and private cover fit together is on our Beverly Hills home insurance guide.
HOA dues and private patrol
We haven't found published HOA dues for the gated enclaves in and around Beverly Hills, so we don't quote any. If a home has an HOA, ask for the current dues, the budget, the reserve study and any special assessment planned. Where a gate or patrol comes with the HOA, ask what the dues cover.
Schools inside the city line
Beverly Hills Unified serves addresses inside the district. Check any address with the BHUSD School Finder rather than relying on the ZIP code, since much of 90210 lies in the City of Los Angeles. Our Beverly Hills schools page has the district details.
The upfront cost of living in Beverly Hills: price, loan and transfer tax
Before any yearly bill, there's the cost of getting in. Inside Beverly Hills a sale pays the standard Los Angeles County transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000, which is $5,500 on $5 million. Across the line in the City of Los Angeles, a sale of more than $5.4 million also pays Measure ULA on the whole price.
The city line and transfer tax
On a $10 million sale, the published County and City of Los Angeles rates give $11,000 of transfer tax inside Beverly Hills and $456,000 inside the City of Los Angeles. The mansion tax calculator for Beverly Hills and Los Angeles shows the figure at your price.
What the price buys in Beverly Hills right now
Redfin's median sale price for Beverly Hills was $4,029,331 in September 2026, on 73 sales, with a median of 77 days on market. Homes sold for about 95% of list price on average that month. Those are all-residential figures; the guide to Beverly Hills homes by area shows how far a street or enclave can sit from them.
Your own cost of living worksheet for a Beverly Hills home
Use this to turn a listing price into a yearly number you can plan around. Each step uses a rate on this page or a figure you'll get from the seller or a broker.
- Multiply the price by 1.189084% for property tax, then add the direct assessments from the parcel's current bill.
- Ask for a year of the seller's city utility bills, or work one up from the rate table above.
- Get insurance quotes from a licensed broker, with earthquake quoted separately.
- Ask the HOA, if there is one, for dues and planned assessments.
- Add the yearly mortgage cost if you're financing.
The worksheet worked for a $5 million house
Property tax of $59,454 plus utilities of about $9,364 gives roughly $68,800 a year before insurance, HOA dues, upkeep and any loan. That's about 1.4% of the price. Add your quotes to it, and you have the yearly figure to weigh against the house. If you'd like a local agent to pull the seller's bills and records for you, see our recommended Beverly Hills agent.
Living in Beverly Hills FAQs
How much does it cost to live in Beverly Hills?
For a homeowner, most of the cost follows the purchase price. Property tax at the 2026-27 central Beverly Hills rate of 1.189084% is about $59,454 a year on a $5 million house, before direct assessments. City water, sewer, stormwater and trash on a 20,000 square foot lot come to around $9,364 a year in our worked example. Insurance, HOA dues and any mortgage come on top.
Why is Beverly Hills so expensive?
The record points to scarce land in a separate city. Beverly Hills covers 5.708 square miles of land and had 16,405 housing units in January 2026, only 59 more than a year earlier. It runs its own police and fire services and its own building rules, and Measure ULA doesn't apply to sales inside it. Zillow's typical value was $3,676,482 in September 2026.
Is Beverly Hills more expensive than Los Angeles?
On home values, yes. Zillow put the City of Beverly Hills' typical home value at $3,676,482 in September 2026, against $927,891 for the City of Los Angeles and $871,674 for Los Angeles County. Property tax rates are close: 1.189084% in central Beverly Hills and 1.185825% in the City of LA area covering Bel Air, so the bill gap comes from the price.
What is the property tax rate in Beverly Hills?
In Tax Rate Area 2410, which covers central Beverly Hills, the total 2026-27 rate is 1.189084%. That's the 1% general levy plus city, community college, water district and school debt rates. Direct assessments are added on the bill and vary by parcel. Under Prop 13 the taxable value is reset when a home sells, so a new buyer pays on the purchase price.
How much are water bills in Beverly Hills?
The city bills every two months. For FY 2026-27, single-family water runs from $3.91 per 100 cubic feet in Tier 1 to $15.54 in Tier 4, plus a $0.30 reliability charge and a meter charge from $61.01. In our worked example, 100 units of water on a 1 1/2 inch meter with sewer, stormwater and trash on a 20,000 square foot lot came to $1,560.69.
What is the median home price in Beverly Hills?
Redfin's median sale price for Beverly Hills was $4,029,331 in September 2026, based on 73 sales of all home types. Zillow's typical home value for the city was $3,676,482 the same month. Redfin's figure covers all home types, and Zillow's tracks the middle third of homes, so both sit far below what a house in the flats or the hills sells for; Zillow's figure for its The Flats neighborhood was $10,277,281.
Do you pay the mansion tax when buying in Beverly Hills?
No. Measure ULA is a City of Los Angeles tax and applies only to property in that city. A sale inside Beverly Hills pays the standard Los Angeles County documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000, which is $11,000 on a $10 million home. The same sale in Bel Air or Holmby Hills would carry ULA on the whole price.
Sources
- City of Beverly Hills: Schedule of Taxes, Fees, and Charges FY 2026-27
- Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller: Tax Rates by TRA (TRA 2410 and TRA 67, FY 2026-27)
- California State Board of Equalization: Publication 29, California Property Tax: An Overview
- California State Board of Equalization: Supplemental Assessment
- Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector: press release, October 1, 2026
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: Documentary Transfer Taxes
- City of Los Angeles Office of Finance: Measure ULA FAQ
- City of Beverly Hills: About the Fire Department
- City of Beverly Hills: Fire Stations
- City of Beverly Hills: About Beverly Hills
- City of Beverly Hills: General Plan 2021-2029 Housing Element, Appendix B
- California Department of Finance: E-1 and E-1H City/County Estimates, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Gazetteer, California places
- City of Beverly Hills: What and where is the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
- Freddie Mac: Primary Mortgage Market Survey
- Zillow Home Value Index, September 2026
- Redfin Data Center: Beverly Hills, September 2026
- BHUSD: School Finder