Manhattan Beach, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Manhattan Beach house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Manhattan Beach house

$29,578a year · $2,465 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $2,000,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$22,012
1.104% of $2,000,000, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$556
MBUSD Measure MB parcel tax $225 · City storm drain fee (typical lot) $135 · LA County Measure W clean water tax (typical lot) $69 · City street lighting assessment $17 · LA County West Vector Control assessment $10 · South Bay Cities Sanitation District sewer charge $100
Electricity and gas$3,670
523 kWh a month $2,801 · 35 therms $869
Water and sewer$1,552
10 units (CCF) a month on City of Manhattan Beach: water $103, sewer $27 a month
Trash$296
65 gallon, $25 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Manhattan Beach house at the typical market value ($2,000,000) pays about $29,600 a year: $22,570 property tax and charges, $1,550 water and sewer, $300 trash, $3,670 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 21, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 20 gallon cartUp to $68 a year
Your cart costs $25 a month; the smallest costs $19. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Submit a service-change request on WM's Manhattan Beach page (choose "Continue as Guest" and enter your address). One cart exchange a year is included; more cost $23.23 each.
Seniors 65+ and SSI/SSDI recipients: Measure MB parcel tax exemption$225 a year
Owners of an owner-occupied single-family home who are 65 or older by June 30 of the prior fiscal year, receive SSI for a disability, or receive SSDI with income up to 250% of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines can be exempted from the school district's $225 parcel tax. Once granted, the exemption stays in effect for the life of the tax while you qualify.
How: Apply to Manhattan Beach Unified School District by May 15 for the next fiscal year.
Low income: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
Customers enrolled in CARE get a 20% discount on their SoCalGas bill.
How: See SoCalGas assistance programs at socalgas.com.
Free bulky item pickups
Single-family homes get six bulky waste pickups per dwelling unit a year at no extra charge, with up to three items per pickup.
How: Request a bulk pickup on WM's Manhattan Beach page (wm.com).

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMonthly price for your first gray trash cart (FY 2025-26 rates); blue recycling and green organics carts of any size are included at no charge. The average Manhattan Beach home has a 65-gallon cart.

Value before exemptionsThe Census median shown is capped at $2,000,000: most Manhattan Beach homes are worth more. Under Prop 13 your assessed value starts at your purchase price and can rise at most 2% a year, so long-time owners are often far below market: use the assessed value on your tax bill.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemptionSomeone on the title is 65 or older

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, NAIC data via the Insurance Information Institute; California figures from the California Department of Insurance.

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical Manhattan Beach house uses about 10.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Southern California Edison (delivery) + Clean Power Alliance (generation) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30, 2026in 38 daysLast day to file a 2026 regular assessment appeal in LA County (filing runs July 2 to November 30).
Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late after Dec 10: 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for the year.
Apr 10Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Manhattan Beach; City of Manhattan Beach, billed every two months: a fixed service charge by meter size plus one uniform rate per HCF for single-family homes (rates from November 1, 2026, the last step of the 2022 schedule)
Property tax: 1.10% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County
Garbage: WM (Waste Management); WM collects trash, recycling and organics under the City's contract; a single-family customer's bill from WM reflects two months of service.
Sewer: City of Manhattan Beach + LA County Sanitation Districts; The City bills wastewater every two months; Manhattan Beach is part of the Sanitation Districts' South Bay Cities District.
Electricity: Southern California Edison + Clean Power Alliance; SCE delivers the power and sends one monthly bill; Clean Power Alliance supplies it. Manhattan Beach's default has been 100% Green Power since October 2021, and customers can change tiers or opt out.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company lists Manhattan Beach among the cities it serves.
Schools: Manhattan Beach Unified; In March 2024 voters renewed the district's $225 education parcel tax (Measure MB) for six years.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Local groundwater from the West Coast Basin plus imported Metropolitan Water District water bought through West Basin Municipal Water District; the City's groundwater rights can supply about 25% of its yearly drinking water.
Treatment: The City's new groundwater treatment plant started up in 2024, and the State permitted its water production in 2025.
Lead: In 2022 tap sampling the 90th percentile was 4.4 µg/L lead, below the 15 µg/L action level; two of 33 samples were above it.
Standards: The City's 2025 Public Health Goal report (covering 2022-2024) says its drinking water meets all State and U.S. EPA drinking water standards.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Individual bills are confidential in California, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Garbage (WM, billed by WM every two months): the City's adopted FY 2025-26 single-family rates for the first gray trash cart ($18.98 for 20 or 35 gallons, $24.65 for 65 gallons, $30.31 for 95 gallons a month; recycling and organics carts at no charge). From July 1, 2026 these rise by the trash-collection CPI and the City's cost-recovery fee, calculated administratively; we did not find the adjusted FY 2026-27 rate sheet, so the page uses the FY 2025-26 rates.
Water and wastewater (City of Manhattan Beach, billed every two months): rates from November 1, 2026, the last step of the 2022 water schedule and the fourth step of the 2023 wastewater schedule: the 5/8" or 3/4" meter charge ($37.03 per two months) and the single-family uniform rate ($8.42 per HCF), and the wastewater charge of $16.20 per two months plus $1.85 per HCF of water used; we halve the two-month charges to monthly. The $0.38 per HCF wholesale-water pass-through is not included: it applied to FY 2025-26, and we found no City action extending it to FY 2026-27. The page starts at 10 HCF a month, the City's typical single-family use.
Property tax: 1% plus the 2026-27 Manhattan Beach Unified and El Camino Community College District bond rates from the LA County tax rate resolution (about 1.1045% in total), less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, applied to the value you enter. The Metropolitan Water District's small levy was not found in that resolution and is left out. The starting value is the Census median, which is top-coded at $2,000,000; under Prop 13 a long-held home's assessed value can be far lower.
Flat charges on the tax bill for 2026-27: Manhattan Beach Unified's Measure MB parcel tax ($225), the City street lighting assessment ($17.03 for most single-family homes), the LA County West Vector Control District assessment ($9.74 per parcel) and the South Bay Cities Sanitation District sewer charge ($100 per single-family home, the district's proposed FY 2026-27 rate in its Prop 218 notice; the May 20, 2026 hearing result was not found). Two charges depend on a lot's paved and roofed area, so we use the average impervious area of the most common single-family lot size (0.08 to 0.14 acre, about 2,756 sq ft): the City storm drain fee ($0.04602 per sq ft in 2024-25, raised 3.4% and 3.0% by CPI, about $135) and LA County Measure W (2.5 cents per sq ft, about $69). Not included because they vary by parcel: the LA County flood control assessment, trauma and emergency services tax and county park assessment, and utility-undergrounding assessment districts in some neighborhoods.
Electricity: the SCE/CPA joint rate comparison's $0.40019 per-kWh total for the Domestic rate with CPA 100% Green Power, Manhattan Beach's default (its $209.30 average bill is that rate times 523 kWh, so it leaves out SCE's $24.15 monthly Base Services Charge); we add that charge: $24.15 a month plus $0.40019 per kWh. Gas: SoCalGas's March 2026 average non-CARE bill ($72.39 at 35 therms), taken as including the $0.16-a-day customer charge (about $4.87 a month), so $4.87 a month plus $1.929 per therm. Both are averages; real bills vary by season and time of use. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Manhattan Beach compares

A typical Manhattan Beach house against the 110 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Manhattan Beach	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.10%	1.13%	lower than 75 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$1,233	$955	higher than 89 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$319	$584	lower than 55 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$296	$438	lower than 97 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,670	$3,556	higher than 70 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 108 other California cities we cover
Total	$29,578	$15,240	higher than 106 of the other 109 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,233 a year at typical use, higher than 89 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,233 a year at typical use, higher than 89 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $296 a year for the standard cart, lower than 97 of the other 101 California cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $296 a year for the standard cart, lower than 97 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Manhattan Beach house costs

What is the property tax rate in Manhattan Beach?

About 1.10% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County), plus flat charges on the same bill (MBUSD Measure MB parcel tax $225, City storm drain fee (typical lot) $135, LA County Measure W clean water tax (typical lot) $69, City street lighting assessment $17).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Manhattan Beach?

About $6,001 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $556 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Manhattan Beach?

About $129 a month for water and sewer at typical use (10 units, or 7,480 gallons a month) on City of Manhattan Beach.

How much does trash pickup cost in Manhattan Beach?

$19 to $30 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20 gallon, 35 gallon, 65 gallon, 95 gallon).

When is property tax due in Manhattan Beach?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Manhattan Beach?

Yes. Seniors 65+ and SSI/SSDI recipients: Measure MB parcel tax exemption: Owners of an owner-occupied single-family home who are 65 or older by June 30 of the prior fiscal year, receive SSI for a disability, or receive SSDI with income up to 250% of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines can be exempted from the school district's $225 parcel tax. Once granted, the exemption stays in effect for the life of the tax while you qualify.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Manhattan Beach?

Low income: SoCalGas CARE: Customers enrolled in CARE get a 20% discount on their SoCalGas bill. See SoCalGas assistance programs at socalgas.com.

How much does a house in Manhattan Beach cost to run each year?

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