South Surrey / Lower Mainland
White RockBritish Columbia
A separately incorporated city on Semiahmoo Bay: a 2.19 kilometre Promenade, a 470 metre pier, one railway track along the waterfront, and a Town Centre around Johnston Road.
Separated from Surrey since April 15, 1957
Torn in half December 20, 2018; Promenade reopened July 2019, pier reopened September 21, 2019
Along Semiahmoo Bay, with eight pedestrian crossings of the rail line
Used by freight and Amtrak; the City's plan commits only to explore relocating it
The market in White Rock
Market snapshot · October 2026
White Rock · HPI Benchmark
Benchmark price
$813K
Month over month
+3.0%
Year over year
±0.0%
Sales (month)
34
Detached, townhouse and apartment only
Active listings
314
Detached, townhouse and apartment only
Months of inventory
10.1
Active listings divided by average monthly sales over the past 12 months, so it will not equal this month’s active listings divided by this month’s sales.
Fraser Valley Real Estate Board composite Home Price Index (HPI), the industry-standard measure of typical home value, adjusted for property mix. Sales were 10.8% of active listings in the month, a buyers’ market by board convention. Boards call under 12% a buyers’ market and over 20% a sellers’ market.
See the White Rock HPI chart on Market Insights
Source: Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. The benchmark is the composite index; sales and active listings count detached, townhouse and apartment homes only. HPI benchmarks are aggregate measures; specific properties may transact above or below.
Purpose-built rental · October 2025
White Rock · Rent and yield
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental survey of purpose-built rental buildings only. Does not include condos, houses or basement suites.
Vacancy
5.1%
Up from 1.8% in 2024.
Apartment
$1,547 / month
Down 0.8% on 2024 · 3.37% yield on a $550,200 benchmark
2010–2025
Surveyed each October; latest is October 2025. Yield is annual rent over the benchmark for all units of that type. It is an approximation, not a quote for one property.
Market insights · the long view
A in White Rock, bought in 2019
Board benchmark across White Rock, to October 2026. Not an appraisal of any one home.
Recently sold in White Rock
Homes that sold in White Rock over the past 90 days, live from the board feed.
See recent sales
A free account shows the sold price, the sale date and days on market. The real estate board lets us show sold prices only to signed-in visitors who agree to its terms.
Just listed in White Rock
The newest active listings in White Rock. Refreshes from the live MLS feed every 15 minutes.
No active listings in White Rock right now.
Browse every active listing in White Rock →Open houses in White Rock this weekend
Open houses between Nov 7 and Nov 8, from the live MLS feed. Confirm times with the listing before you go. Schedules change.
No open houses this weekend in White Rock.
Browse all active listings in White Rock →Thinking of selling in White Rock?
Knowing what your home is worth in this market is the first move. Start with the seller’s guide, then reach out for a straightforward conversation about your specific street, timing, and what the recent sales nearby actually mean for your number.
Overview
White Rock is its own incorporated city, not a Surrey neighbourhood. The City reports 21,939 residents in 5.12 square kilometres, with its own council and its own water utility, and North Bluff Road (16 Avenue) is the boundary with South Surrey.
The waterfront is the city's centre of gravity: the 2.19 kilometre Promenade, the 470 metre pier, and a single railway track along the whole length of it, used by freight and Amtrak trains at any hour. The City's plan commits only to explore relocating the line, so a buyer near the water should treat it as permanent and visit at the hours they would be home. Above the waterfront, the Town Centre around Johnston Road and Five Corners is where the Official Community Plan focuses its highest density, at Johnston Road and North Bluff Road.
For schools, White Rock falls inside SD #36 (Surrey). By land area inside the city, the elementary catchments are White Rock Elementary 37%, Peace Arch Elementary 22%, Bayridge Elementary 20%, Ray Shepherd Elementary 11% and H.T. Thrift Elementary 10%, and the secondary catchments are Semiahmoo 67%, Earl Marriott 22% and Elgin Park 11%. Catchment maps are updated by the district, so check the current map for any specific address. The 24 Avenue commercial belt in South Surrey handles most everyday retail.
What you get living here
The things that don't show up in a listing — the standing rituals and quiet anchors that make White Rock feel like a place rather than a postal code.
The "white rock" is a real boulder, known to the Semiahmoo First Nation as P'Quals
The City calls it the "legendary White Rock," and the Semiahmoo First Nation know it as P'Quals. It sits on the beach a short way east of the pier.
City of White Rock · OpenStreetMap
White Rock split from Surrey because residents felt ignored
Incorporated as a separate city on April 15, 1957 after Surrey residents on the bay petitioned to break away. The separation still shapes local identity: "we are not Surrey" remains a phrase you hear often, and the planning, tax, and amenity profiles run on different tracks.
Wikipedia · White Rock, BC
One of BC's smallest cities by land area, and among its densest
2021 Census: 21,939 residents on 5.17 km² works out to roughly 4,240 people per km², among the densest municipalities in BC despite the low-rise feel. The geography is the story: there's nowhere else to build sideways.
Statistics Canada 2021 Census
The 470-metre pier was torn in half by a storm
The pier extends 470 m into Semiahmoo Bay. It was built in 1914 and 1915 and restored in 1977, and a storm tore it in half on December 20, 2018. The Promenade reopened in July 2019 and the pier officially reopened on September 21, 2019. The City says two-thirds of it is nearing the end of its service life, and it holds a federal approval in principle of $25,935,000 toward repair.
City of White Rock
An active freight line splits the promenade from the water
A single railway track, used by freight and Amtrak, runs the length of the waterfront. The City counts eight pedestrian crossings, and train horns ceased at them on January 29, 2020. The Official Community Plan commits only to explore relocating the line.
City of White Rock · Official Community Plan, Bylaw 2220
The Semiahmoo First Nation lives directly south, and long drew its water from White Rock
The Semiahmoo Indian Reserve (1.3 km², ~40 on-reserve members) sits between White Rock's south boundary and the Peace Arch border. The reserve long drew water from White Rock's municipal system; when the city announced termination in 2015, Semiahmoo appealed to Surrey, and a Metro Vancouver connection through Surrey was completed by 2021.
Wikipedia · Semiahmoo First Nation · Indigenous Services Canada
Inside White Rock
White Rock reads as one neighbourhood from a distance, but on the ground the housing fabric is layered. Each piece has its own rules, its own inventory, and its own buyer.
The waterfront
The 2.19 kilometre Promenade, the 470 metre pier and the eight pedestrian crossings of the rail line, with West Beach at Bay, Anderson and Oxford Streets and the pier, and East Beach at Cypress, Balsam, Ash and Finlay Streets.
Read more →The rail line
One railway track along the whole waterfront, used by freight and Amtrak trains. The City's plan commits only to explore relocating it.
Read more →Town Centre and Five Corners
Where the Official Community Plan focuses its highest density, at Johnston Road and North Bluff Road, with the White Rock Centre bus exchange on Johnston Road.
Read more →Schools
White Rock falls within School District 36 (Surrey) even though the municipality is separately incorporated. By land area inside the city, the elementary catchments are White Rock Elementary 37%, Peace Arch Elementary 22%, Bayridge Elementary 20%, Ray Shepherd Elementary 11% and H.T. Thrift Elementary 10%.
The secondary catchments are Semiahmoo Secondary 67%, Earl Marriott Secondary 22% and Elgin Park Secondary 11%. Pull the current SD #36 attendance area for any specific address before paying a school-catchment premium.
Estimated catchments in and around White Rock
Tap one to see what is for sale inside it. Boundaries come from the school district and shift on their review cycles, so call or text me and I’ll confirm one before you remove subjects.
Heritage + history
The Official Community Plan (Bylaw 2220) focuses the highest density at Johnston Road and North Bluff Road, and its view policy limits the floor area of tower floorplates and sets tower setbacks.
A single railway track runs along the waterfront. The Plan commits only to explore relocating it, so buyers near the water should visit at the hours they would be home.
Daily life
The White Rock promenade at the foot of the bluff is the city's social heart: the pier, the East Beach commercial strip, and the Marine Drive restaurants. Walkable density that South Surrey doesn't replicate.
For everyday errands and big-box supply, most White Rock residents draw toward the 24 Avenue and 152 Street commercial belt north of the city in South Surrey (Morgan Crossing, Semiahmoo Town Centre, Grandview Corners). Crescent Beach and the Semiahmoo trail system handle the broader recreation profile.
Commute math
The White Rock Centre bus exchange is on Johnston Road. Driving and transit times depend on the hour and the route, so test the trip at the time you would make it.
The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension does not serve White Rock; it runs along Fraser Highway, several kilometres east.
Property types
- Condominiums
- Detached homes
- Townhouses
Compare White Rock to nearby
South Surrey →
Directly north across 16 Avenue: Surrey municipality. Some secondary catchments (Earl Marriott, Semiahmoo) cross the boundary.
Morgan Creek →
The South Surrey estate-tier alternative: quarter-acre to half-acre lots on the golf-course community. Higher detached price band than inland White Rock; no view premium, no condo density, much more space.
Grandview Heights →
Post-2010 newer development band in South Surrey, north of 24 Avenue. Denser townhouse and detached stock; the Grandview Corners commercial belt at the southern edge. Newer construction at lower per-square-foot than White Rock view homes.
Frequently asked
A few of the questions that come up most often about White Rock.
Is White Rock part of Surrey?
What's the difference between White Rock and South Surrey?
What is the rail line along the waterfront?
What schools serve White Rock?
Does the foreign buyer tax apply in White Rock?
Nearby areas
See every active listing in White Rock
Filter by price, beds, lot size, year built, and more — saved searches, email alerts, and the full live feed.
Browse White Rock listings →Market data
The current FVREB / REBGV HPI benchmark price for White Rock, month-over-month and year-over-year deltas, monthly sales, and active inventory live on a dedicated page with the source citations and methodology.
White Rock market data + HPI benchmark →More on White Rock
References + tools
Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR® at Momentum Realty Inc.. GVR Member #6015742 · FVREB Member #FJOBBR