Compare cities, side by side.
Pricing tiers, permit speed, and full timeline phases across up to 8 LA-area cities. The URL updates as you select — share the link to send a comparison.
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Golden State ADU · City Comparison
Beverly Hills · Santa Monica · Pasadena
§ I · Quick stats
Permitting & market
Beverly Hills
Santa Monica
Pasadena
Permit authority
City of Beverly Hills Community Development
Santa Monica Planning & Building
Pasadena Permit Center
Permit days
120–180
90–150
100–160
Permit + impact fees
$28K–$42K
$22K–$36K
$24K–$38K
Median lot
7,200 sq ft
5,400 sq ft
7,800 sq ft
Starting price
$165K
$155K
$148K
$/sqft (typical)
$360–$400
$345–$395
$330–$385
1-BR rent
$3,400/mo
$3,200/mo
$2,600/mo
2-BR rent
$4,800/mo
$4,400/mo
$3,600/mo
Est. ROI
9–12%
10–13%
11–14%
§ II · Pricing tiers
By product type
Beverly Hills
Santa Monica
Pasadena
Garage conversion
from $155K≈ 400 sq ft
from $148K≈ 400 sq ft
from $140K≈ 400 sq ft
Detached studio
from $185K480 sq ft
from $178K480 sq ft
from $170K480 sq ft
Detached 1-BR
from $285K750 sq ft
from $273K750 sq ft
from $265K750 sq ft
Detached 2-BR
from $390K1,000 sq ft
from $368K1,000 sq ft
from $360K1,000 sq ft
§ III · Timeline phases
Weeks per phase
Beverly Hills
Santa Monica
Pasadena
Feasibility & survey
1–3 wks
1–3 wks
1–3 wks
Design & Title 24
4–8 wks
4–8 wks
4–8 wks
Permitting
see above
see above
see above
Foundation & framing
8–12 wks
8–12 wks
8–12 wks
MEP & finishes
10–14 wks
10–14 wks
10–14 wks
Inspections & closeout
2–3 wks
2–3 wks
2–3 wks
Phases run in sequence. Permitting overlaps design on most projects.
City pages
FAQ
How the comparison works
How does the city comparison tool work?
Pick any two California cities we cover. The tool side-by-sides permit timeline (median + 90th percentile), all-in cost per sq ft, school fees, impact-fee cap, recent issued-permit volume (last 12 months from CA HCD data), and any local overlays that change setbacks or height.Where does the comparison data come from?
Permit volumes: California HCD ADU dashboard, refreshed quarterly. Fees: scraped directly from each city's published fee schedule, verified by phone before publishing. Cost-per-sq-ft: our trailing-90-day signed contracts in each city.Is one city always cheaper than another for the same ADU?
Not always. Soft costs (permit + impact + school + utility connection fees) can swing $8K–$22K city-to-city for the same 800 sq ft detached ADU. Hard costs vary less — labor markets are similar across LA-metro and Bay-metro. The comparison tool itemizes the soft-cost delta line by line.Which California city issues ADU permits fastest in 2026?
As of Q1 2026: Berkeley (avg 38 days), San Jose (avg 41 days), Long Beach (avg 45 days), Oakland (avg 48 days), Pasadena (avg 52 days). These cities ministerially approve compliant SB 9/AB 68 applications without discretionary review.Which city has the lowest total ADU cost?
Lowest impact-fee profile in 2026: unincorporated LA County, unincorporated Alameda County, Lancaster, Palmdale, Fremont, San Jose. Add lower per-sq-ft hard-cost markets and unincorporated areas can land 8–15% under their incorporated neighbors for the identical plan set.Can I save the comparison to share with a partner or contractor?
Yes — each comparison generates a permanent shareable URL with both cities encoded. Bookmark it, email it, or paste it into a feasibility brief.How often does the comparison data update?
Fees: quarterly. Permit timelines: monthly (against the rolling 90-day median). Cost-per-sq-ft: monthly. The date of the most recent refresh is shown on each comparison page footer.Are property taxes part of the comparison?
Yes — we calculate the marginal property-tax increase per city using each county's published Prop 13 base-rate-plus-overrides table. For most LA/Bay cities that's 1.15–1.30% applied to the ADU's reassessed value (the primary home keeps its existing base).