There are affordable beach towns out there, but you’ll have to go a little off the beaten path. Photo: Amy Vosters //Unsplash
For surfers and beachgoers alike, consistent access to the shoreline is an essential part of life. But, rising coastal real estate prices, particularly in iconic surf hubs like California and Hawaii, are driving many to seek affordable alternatives. And with wave-riding craft constantly evolving – see SUP, foil, wind tools, and alternative surfboard shapes – surf is truly where you find it these days. Even beach towns with subpar surf are now “surfable” more often.
So in that vein, here are 10 of the most affordable U.S. cities for surfers to buy a home, listed from highest to lowest median home sale price.
10. Crescent City, California
Median Home Sale Price: $343,000
Under an hour from Redwood National Park, Crescent City is a remote Northern California city where dense fog, rocky coastlines, and chilly Pacific waters shape a quiet, low-volume surf scene. With ample hiking trails, swaths of forest, and a wide array of wildlife, this is a city for outdoor and nature enthusiasts through and through. The exposed reef break at Enderts Beach offers the most consistent year-round surf in the area. Otherwise, winter’s low-tides bring decent surf at five other Crescent City spots. The annual Crescent City Classic Longboard Competition & Festival brings the local community together each fall.
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9. Deerfield Beach, Florida
Median Home Sale Price: $328,000
Deerfield Beach is a laid-back South Florida city less than 10 minutes from Boca Raton. While the waves here are generally small and conditions can be inconsistent, the beach offers accessible breaks suitable for surfers of all levels. The main break at Deerfield Beach Pier is a sheltered sandbar. Prime conditions start in late November. Just 15 minutes north, Delray Beach offers more consistent conditions, especially during winter months. YouTuber PJ Dourghety caught some solid clips of an active day at Delray. Beyond the waves, Deerfield Beach boasts a vibrant coastal atmosphere with a range of dining and entertainment options, making it a well-rounded destination for both surfers and beachgoers.
A classic day at Ponce Inlet and Taj Burrow happened to be in town. Photo: Tupat
8. Daytona Beach, Florida
Median Home Sale Price: $322,000
Though Daytona Beach is the original home of the debauchery-fueled MTV Spring Break, you don’t just have to party there. Nearby Ormond Beach gained fame as the self-proclaimed birthplace of speed in 1903, when racers began testing their vehicles on its hard-packed sands. The city likewise champions itself as one the country’s original surf towns. Waves are small, but consistent, with the best conditions arriving in early spring and peaking in July.
Unknown surfer on a fun one in Fort Pierce. Photo: saltchef.com
7. Fort Pierce, Florida
Median Home Sale Price: $314,000
Fort Pierce is a low-population South Florida city that sits between the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. Local surfers head to Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a self-proclaimed surf paradise thanks to its famed North Jetty, which creates an idyllic right. The surrounding parkland and shell-laden shoreline are rife with natural beauty. Since the site draws visitors from all over the state, crowds accumulate quickly in prime conditions. Beyond its day-to-day surf culture, the park also plays host to a range of community events and competitions, cementing its status as a meaningful hub in the Florida surf scene.
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6. Norfolk, Virginia
Median Home Sale Price: $310,000
A vibrant arts and culture scene, a minor league baseball stadium, the annual Tidewater Comic Con, and a 20-minute drive to Virginia Beach make Norfolk a cool and funky beach town for families, artists, and surfers alike. Like most east coast surf spots, there are long periods of flat surf. Still, eclectic crowds of novices, tourists, and aspiring pros are found throughout VB’s most populous surf spot: the 1st Street Jetty. The beach has likewise been home to the annual East Coast Surfing Championships since 1963. Surf communities thrive here. After all, Virginia is for surfers.
A small sunny day at Jacksonville Beach. Photo: Insideflorida.com
5. Jacksonville, Florida
Median Home Sale Price: $299,000
Jacksonville is a big, sprawling southern metropolis. Currently, it’s the 10th most populous city in the United States. Few cities of that size let you leave downtown and be in the ocean in under 30 minutes. That kind of beach access has helped shape an active, well-established surf scene. The Jax Beach Pier is the area’s go-to, high-tide break, offering multiple peaks that help spread out crowds: a welcome feature given its notoriously aggressive lineup. If the locals-only vibe is too much, nearby Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach often offer less crowded waves.
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4. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Median Home Sale Price: $271,000
Myrtle Beach is known for entertainment-first summer tourism. The city is the central hub of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile arc of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. There’s no shortage of activity here. Myrtle Beach is home to championship golf courses, award-winning waterparks, and five separate medieval-times-style themed restaurants (with themes ranging from the Wild West to Polynesian luaus). Waves in South Carolina are often mushy, but the cleanest and most consistent conditions come in winter. Popular surf spots include North Myrtle Beach’s Cherry Grove Pier, or nearby Pawleys Island. For slightly more consistent surf, locals often take the two-hour drive south to Folly Beach, another champion of the South Carolina surf scene.
A nice round Texas barrel. And no we don’t mean a gun. Photo: Scott Ellwood
3. Corpus Christi, Texas
Median Home Sale Price: $269,000
While the waves may not always be world-class, the surf scene in Corpus Christi thrives thanks to its most consistent surf spot: Bob Hall Pier. Bob Hall offers reliable gulf coast surf with the best conditions typically found during hurricane season. However, the spot can draw competitive, aggressive crowds. J.P. Luby Surf Park is an alternative break that likewise offers relatively consistent surf. Hurricane season and mid-winter bring about Corpus Christi’s best conditions.
It’s worth mentioning Galveston, Texas here as well, another gulf coast Texas city that offers semi-reliable surf. Galveston’s seen a spike in home sale prices over the years, which pushed it off this list.
Atlantic City is for everyone. Photo: Ryan Halbe
2. Atlantic City, New Jersey
Median Home Sale Price: $169,000
Some call Atlantic City the Las Vegas of the East. Simply mentioning the place conjures images of flashing neon lights, sounds of clashing bumper cars, and the smell of funnel cake. The world-famous, wood-built Atlantic City Boardwalk is the nation’s oldest and longest boardwalk (at 5.5 miles). Though droves of tourists descend on the city come summer, prime surfing season in Atlantic City starts in the fall. From September through October, crowds thin and the ocean’s still warm. The city features well-known surf spots for every level of surfer. The beginner-friendly States Avenue is arguably Atlantic City’s most popular surf destination. Experienced surfers head to Crystals.
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1. Pascagoula, Mississippi
Median Home Sale Price: $148,000
The calm waters of the Mississippi Sound are better suited for kayaking and fishing than they are for surfing. Nevertheless the Mississippi gulf coast breeds rare, diehard surfers who wait year-round for precious storm swells. Situated on the Mississippi Sound, shrimping and shipbuilding drive Pascagoula, an industrial city that a 2021 Nasdaq article listed among the top five cities for families in the southeast. Mississippi Folklife describes a surf scene built by scrappy, resourceful surfers, who speak in thick southern drawls and openly share where and when the best breaks hit via group text. During hurricane season, most Mississippi surfers head to Alabama’s Dauphin Island, an hour east, where waves can definitely get overhead in size. The most dedicated, hardcore surfers can take a fifteen-mile boat ride to the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands, provided they find a boater bold enough to brave the choppy conditions that bring worthwhile waves.
