May 2026 Market Data •Redfin City-Limits Figures
Data collected for May 2026 (the most recent full month of closings), with year-over-year comparisons to May 2025. These are city-limits-only figures pulled from Redfin, not metro-wide MLS totals. Competitiveness and “typical time to pending” reflect Redfin’s trailing three-month Compete Score. This update covers the city of Costa Mesa, CA.
The Market at a Glance — May 2026
| Metric | Costa Mesa — May 2026 |
| Median sale price | $1,424,148 (−8.1% YoY) |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 99.6% |
| Homes sold above list | 37.2% |
| Homes with price drops | 28.0% |
| Homes sold | 155 |
| Typical time to pending | ~33 days |
| Redfin Compete Score | Very Competitive |
“Competition” reflects Redfin’s Compete Score — a 0–100 rating of how hard buyers compete for homes over the trailing three months, based on how many offers homes receive, how often they sell above asking, how quickly they go pending, and the sale-to-list ratio. Costa Mesa is one of the most competitive markets in coastal Orange County.
Prices and Pace
Costa Mesa is the entry point to the Orange County coastal lifestyle, and it remains one of the most competitive markets in the region — even as its headline median dipped. The median sale price came in at $1,424,148, down 8.1% year over year, a move driven more by shifts in the mix of homes selling than by any softening in demand. Just a few miles inland from the beach, with a central location, a celebrated dining-and-arts scene, and proximity to South Coast Plaza, the city draws a deep pool of buyers.
The demand signals are unmistakable. The sale-to-list ratio was 99.6% — the highest on the coast, meaning homes sold essentially at asking — and homes went to pending in roughly 33 days, among the fastest pace anywhere in coastal Orange County. With 155 closings, this is an active, fiercely contested market.
Where the Leverage Sits
Buyers have the least leverage here of any coastal city. At 37.2%, Costa Mesa had the highest share of homes selling above list in the region — more than a third — and the highest sale-to-list ratio at 99.6%. Roughly 28% of listings did cut price, so opportunities exist on homes that have lingered, but the default condition is real bidding pressure on anything well-priced and move-in ready. Buyers must come prepared to compete.
Costa Mesa’s neighborhoods vary widely — from the upscale Eastside and Mesa Verde to the more attainable Westside and the new development around the 17th Street corridor — with different price points and buyer profiles. Anchor offers to recent comparable sales within the specific neighborhood.
What This Means for Buyers
Costa Mesa is a market for prepared, decisive buyers. With homes selling at ask, more than a third going above list, and a brisk 33-day pace, hesitation costs deals here. Have financing fully in order, be clear on your priorities, and be ready to write a strong offer on the right home. The 28% price-drop rate means leverage does exist on listings that have sat — that is where to focus if you want negotiating room — but on fresh, well-priced inventory, expect competition.
What This Means for Sellers
Costa Mesa sellers hold the strongest hand on the coast. Homes are selling at or above asking, quickly, with frequent multiple offers. Correctly priced, well-presented homes can do exceptionally well. Don’t read the year-over-year median dip as weakness — it largely reflects which homes happened to sell — but do price to current, neighborhood-specific comparables; even in a hot market, the roughly one-in-four price-drop rate shows that overreaching can still stall a listing.
Bottom Line
Costa Mesa enters summer 2026 as one of coastal Orange County’s hottest markets — homes selling at ask, the highest share of above-asking sales on the coast, and a fast pace, all powered by its central location and lifestyle appeal. The dip in the headline median masks genuinely strong demand. It firmly favors prepared buyers and well-priced sellers.