Dana Point vs Laguna Niguel: A Home Buyer's Comparison
Dana Point and Laguna Niguel share a border, a school district and the Salt Creek corridor down to the beach, and buyers often compare the two. Their prices sit far apart. In the 12 months to October 30, 2026, homes in Dana Point sold for a median $1,970,500 against $1,385,000 in Laguna Niguel, and the gap holds by the square foot: $1,056 against $738. Laguna Niguel is the larger market, with 685 sales in those 12 months against 386 in Dana Point, and over the full 12 months its homes went under contract faster, a median 18 days against 24. If you want the harbor, the beaches and a home near the sand, Dana Point is the place to look. If you want more home for the money, more listings to choose from and the coast a few minutes away, Laguna Niguel gives you more to work with.
The two cities have different shapes. Dana Point is a coastal city of about 33,000 residents on 6.5 square miles, built around its harbor and the Monarch Beach resort corridor. Laguna Niguel has about 64,000 residents on roughly 14.7 square miles of hillside behind it, a master-planned city that is now built out, so nearly every home that comes to market is a resale. Both incorporated in 1989 and both belong to the Capistrano Unified School District. Sale figures below are CRMLS closings for the 12 months to October 30, 2026, and homes for sale are counted on that date. Check the live Dana Point real estate and Laguna Niguel real estate pages for current numbers.
| Metric | Dana Point | Laguna Niguel |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,970,500 | $1,385,000 |
| Change on the year before | Up 8.4 percent | Down 1.0 percent |
| Single-family median | $2,750,000 (235 sales) | $1,765,000 (419 sales) |
| Condo and townhome median | $1,200,000 (144 sales) | $780,000 (265 sales) |
| Median price per square foot | $1,056 | $738 |
| Median days on market | 24 | 18 |
| Sale price to original list | 97.9 percent | 98.3 percent |
| Buyers paying cash | 47 percent | 32 percent |
| Homes for sale (Oct 30, 2026) | 117 (98 active, 3.0 months of supply) | 173 (134 active, 2.3 months of supply) |
| ZIP codes | 92629, 92624 | 92677 |
| School district | Capistrano Unified | Capistrano Unified |
| Best known for | Dana Point Harbor, whale watching, Doheny and Salt Creek beaches, the Headlands | Master-planned villages, Laguna Niguel Regional Park, gated Ocean Ranch and Bear Brand Ranch |
Price and market positioning
Dana Point costs about 42 percent more at the median and about 43 percent more per square foot. The gap holds across home types: single-family homes sold for a median $2,750,000 in Dana Point and $1,765,000 in Laguna Niguel, and condos and townhomes for $1,200,000 against $780,000. What you pay for in Dana Point is proximity to the water. Monarch Beach, the resort and golf corridor above Salt Creek, recorded 134 sales at a median $3,364,500 in the 12 months to October 30, 2026, and the gated coves of Monarch Bay, Ritz Cove and The Strand at Headlands reach eight figures.
The two markets also moved in opposite directions. Dana Point’s median rose 8.4 percent on the 12 months before and its single-family median 22 percent, and its price per square foot climbed from $966 to $1,056. Laguna Niguel’s median slipped 1.0 percent and its single-family median rose 0.6 percent, a flat year on a much larger base. Dana Point buyers paid cash 47 percent of the time, against 32 percent in Laguna Niguel.
Homes and neighborhoods
Dana Point packs a wide range into a coastal strip. The Lantern District above the harbor mixes cottages, condos and new townhomes; Capistrano Beach holds bluff homes and the gated houses on the sand along Beach Road; Monarch Beach wraps around the golf links and two resorts; and gated Niguel Shores, Monarch Bay, Ritz Cove and The Strand line the bluffs. Single-family tracts climb the hills near Dana Hills High School at lower prices than the gated coast. For the homes on the sand and the bluff, see our guide to Dana Point oceanfront homes.
Laguna Niguel is organized into named tracts and villages laid out under Victor Gruen’s original town plan, begun in 1959. Ocean Ranch and Bear Brand Ranch are its best-known guard-gated estate communities on the southern ridge, a short drive from Salt Creek Beach. Laguna Sur sits behind staffed gates high on the ridge toward South Laguna. Niguel Summit, Marina Hills, Beacon Hill and Kite Hill fill the middle of the market with view homes and established single-family streets, and condo communities such as Crystal Cay, Expressions and La Vista open the city below $1 million. Monarch Summit II, off Pacific Island Drive near the top of the ridge, is a 55-plus community of single-story attached homes. Browse every tract in the Laguna Niguel homes for sale search.
Beaches, parks and daily access
Dana Point is the beach town of the two. Dana Point Harbor runs charter, whale-watching and sportfishing trips year-round, Baby Beach gives calm water inside the breakwater, Doheny State Beach lies just east of the harbor, and Salt Creek Beach lies below the Monarch Beach resorts. The Headlands Conservation Area adds bluff trails and an interpretive center.
Laguna Niguel has no shoreline of its own, but the coast is close. The Salt Creek Trail runs from the city’s southern neighborhoods down the canyon to Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, a paved route residents walk or ride. Inland, Laguna Niguel Regional Park circles a 44-acre lake, Crown Valley Community Park holds the city’s aquatics center and summer concerts, and trails connect to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. Interstate 5 runs along the city’s eastern edge, which shortens commutes north.
Newest Homes for Sale in Dana Point and Laguna Niguel
The six newest listings in each, updated from the MLS every 5 minutes.
Dana Point
Laguna Niguel
Who each market suits
Choose Dana Point if you want to live near the water: a walk to the harbor, a bluff or the sand, or a gated home in the Monarch Beach coves. Expect to pay a premium, and expect fewer homes to compare at any one time: 117 listed on October 30, 2026, 98 of them active. Choose Laguna Niguel if you want more space for the money, a wide choice of tracts and floor plans, quick access to Interstate 5 and the coast a short drive away. It had 173 homes listed on the same date, 134 of them active, and homes there went under contract in a median 18 days over the last 12 months, so be ready to move when the right one lists. Set a saved search on the Dana Point homes for sale page or the Laguna Niguel search and new listings that match it arrive in a daily email.
If you own in either city and want to know what your home is worth today, request a free home valuation. Realatrends Real Estate has sold homes across south Orange County since 1983, with more than 700 sales and $1B+ closed. For the year-by-year record, see the Dana Point housing market and Laguna Niguel housing market pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dana Point or Laguna Niguel more expensive?
Dana Point. In the 12 months to October 30, 2026, homes there sold for a median $1,970,500 against $1,385,000 in Laguna Niguel, and per square foot the figures were $1,056 and $738.
Does Laguna Niguel have a beach?
No. Laguna Niguel sits on the hillside behind the coast. The closest beaches are Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, which residents reach by car or on the Salt Creek Trail, and the coves of South Laguna.
Which sells faster, Dana Point or Laguna Niguel?
Over the 12 months to October 30, 2026, Laguna Niguel: the typical home there went under contract in 18 days and sold at 98.3 percent of its original list price, against 24 days and 97.9 percent in Dana Point. Pace shifts from season to season, so check the live figures on each city page.
Are Dana Point and Laguna Niguel in the same school district?
Yes. Both cities are in the Capistrano Unified School District. Assigned schools vary by address, so confirm them with the district for any home you are considering.
Is the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Laguna Niguel?
No. Despite its name, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel stands on the Dana Point bluff above Salt Creek Beach, in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point.
Compare more Orange County markets
- San Clemente vs Dana Point
- Laguna Beach vs Dana Point
- Newport Beach vs Newport Coast
- Newport Beach vs Corona del Mar
- Ladera Ranch vs Rancho Mission Viejo
Be first to see new Dana Point listings
New Dana Point homes by email, often before they reach the big portals.
You are all set.