HUNTINGTON BEACH This cozy cottage sits about a mile from the ocean near downtown Huntington Beach.

Address: 212 Geneva Ave., Huntington Beach, 92648

Listed for: $3,100 per month for two bedrooms, one bathroom in 953 square feet (6,264-square-foot lot)

Features: Colorful kitchen; bay windows; stylish tile bathrooms; backyard with brick planters

About the area: In the 92648 ZIP Code, based on 33 sales, the median price for single-family homes in December was $1.145 million, up 10.5%, according to CoreLogic.

—Jack Flemming