Huntington Beach's housing stock spans classic beach cottages and inland suburban tracts. Downtown and the coastal neighborhoods feature a mix of Mediterranean-style stucco homes, early 20th-century Craftsman cottages, and modern beach houses and condominiums. Inland neighborhoods include large mid-century and later suburban subdivisions, many of which were built out during the city's post-war expansion. Seacliff offers homes near a private golf club, while Huntington Harbour and The Bluffs contain waterfront and canal-front properties. Newer communities such as Brightwater provide upscale coastal-inspired construction. The city's real estate reflects a premium coastal Orange County market, with the widest range of styles concentrated along the ocean and harbor.

Huntington Beach's neighborhoods divide roughly between the coast and the interior. Downtown is the city's heart, with a walkable core of restaurants, shops, and the pier, surrounded by a mix of older cottages and newer condos. Seacliff, just inland from Pacific Coast Highway, is an established area near the Huntington Club golf course. Huntington Harbour, in the northwest, is a network of waterfront and canal-front homes and marinas, including the upscale Bluffs and Brightwater communities. Central and eastern Huntington Beach contain large suburban tracts of single-family homes, schools, and parks, while the northwest portion of the city offers some of its more moderately priced neighborhoods.

Huntington Beach's lifestyle is built around its coastline and its surf identity. The city's 8.5 miles of wide, sandy beach draw surfers, volleyball players, and beachgoers throughout the year, and the Huntington Beach Pier serves as a central gathering point for fishing, walking, and watching the waves. Downtown's Main Street pairs casual cafes, restaurants, and shops with the oceanfront Pacific City complex. The city hosts major surf events, including the U.S. Open of Surfing, and has a notable craft-brewing scene. Beach bonfires, bike paths, and a year-round outdoor orientation give Huntington Beach a distinctly relaxed, active Southern California culture, all within easy reach of Los Angeles and the rest of Orange County.

Huntington Beach is served by a patchwork of school districts rather than a single system. The Huntington Beach City School District operates K-8 schools in portions of the city, while the Huntington Beach Union High School District covers the area's high schools. Some parts of the city fall within the Ocean View School District or the Fountain Valley School District, meaning school assignment varies by address. The city is also home to Golden West College, a community college with a campus in the city, and benefits from the broader educational resources of Orange County, including nearby universities and private schools.

Huntington Beach is connected to the region by Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1), which runs along the oceanfront, and Interstate 405, which provides the primary freeway route toward Los Angeles and the rest of Orange County. Beach Boulevard and other major arterials cross the city north-south. The Orange County Transportation Authority operates bus routes, including service along Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard, though the city has no direct rail station of its own. Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport both lie within roughly a 15- to 20-minute drive, offering regional air connections, and downtown Los Angeles is about 35 miles to the northwest.

Huntington Beach is built for outdoor recreation. Its wide, sandy beaches offer surfing, swimming, volleyball, and bonfire pits, with Bolsa Chica State Beach and the city beach drawing crowds year-round. The Huntington Beach Pier is a fishing and sightseeing landmark. The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve preserves roughly 1,300 acres of wetlands with about five miles of trails for birdwatching and walking. Huntington Harbour supports boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding along its channels, while Huntington Central Park, one of the largest city parks in Orange County, provides lakes, trails, a nature center, and sports fields inland. The city's bike paths connect beach and wetland areas for cyclists and pedestrians.