Venice is an eclectic neighborhood in Southern California. Venice is known for its beach, skatepark, the canals, world famous basketball court and outdoor gym, and of course a two-and-a-half-mile (4 km) pedestrian promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, and vendors.

Over the course of just a couple of years, Venice has become one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It is the seventh most expensive neighborhood in which to buy a house, its median home value — $1,578,200 — coming in just behind the Hollywood Hills and just ahead of Beverlywood. As for median rental price per square foot, Venice is the most expensive place in L.A.

Venice is generally considered a safe neighborhood. You have multimillion dollar homes but you also have a large contigent of homeless people. Venice Beach, the boardwalk, and Abbott Kinney are all affluent areas with excellent restaurants and bars so as a tourist, you will generally feel safe. Venice is in the 30th percentile for safety, meaning 70% of cities are safer and 30% of cities are more dangerous. The rate of crime in Venice is 36.22 per 1,000 residents.

The cost of living in Venice is 60% higher than the Los Angeles average. The cost of living in Venice is 125% higher than the national average. Venice housing is 378% higher than the national average. The average 2 bedroom apartment will cost you over $5k per month and the median home prices are well over $1.6M.

One cannot say definitively which is better: Venice or Santa Monica. They are right next to each other but offer very different experiences. Santa Monica is much more affluent and upscale but Venice has more character and flare and is more diverse. They are both safe and thriving with plenty of shopping, bars, and restaurants. You can experience both within a day as they are only 2.5 mi apart.