By Comparison, Land in the Inland Empire Is Dirt Cheap

Land costs in the Inland Empire are two to three times lower than in Los Angeles, Orange or Ventura counties, developers and realtors say.

Developer Joseph DiIorio, who has projects in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, said a finished lot for a single-family home would sell for $25,000 or less in the most desirable parts of the Inland Empire, while the same lot would cost $60,000 or more “anywhere in Orange County.”

Coldwell Banker, the large Southern California real estate firm, said developed land for office buildings costs from $6 to $25 per square foot in the Riverside-San Bernardino area, from $16 to $24 per square foot in Orange County and from $40 to $150 per square foot in West Los Angeles, downtown Glendale or Pasadena and other desirable parts of Los Angeles County. (In downtown Los Angeles, the price can run as high as $600 per square foot, the firm said.)

According to Coldwell Banker, the price per square foot of developed land for retail purposes is:

$4.50 to $10 in Riverside County;

$3.50 to $8 in San Bernardino County;

$10 to $60 in Los Angeles County;

$9 to $15 in Orange County.

A square foot of developed land for industrial use runs:

$3 to $3.75 in Riverside County;

$2.75 to $3.75 in San Bernardino County;

$6 to $12 in Los Angeles County;

$6 to $10 in Orange County.