Big Sur's housing market is small and constrained by one of the strictest land-use frameworks in California. The Big Sur Local Coastal Plan limits development to protect viewsheds and open space, and a large share of the coastal region is held by public agencies that prohibit building. Housing consists of scattered homes, cabins, ranch properties, and a few small clusters of businesses and residences in the valley settlements, rather than subdivisions or urban neighborhoods. Short-term and visitor accommodations are limited by the same restrictions. The result is a thin, tightly regulated housing stock where properties tend to be rural, individual, and tied to the land, and where new construction is rare.

Big Sur has no true neighborhoods in the conventional sense; instead, a small permanent population is scattered across several roadside settlements. Big Sur Village, also called Posts, in the Big Sur River valley, is the main cluster of homes, services, and businesses. Farther south, the tiny settlements of Lucia, near Limekiln State Park, and Gorda, on the southern coast, offer a few services and homes. Between them, ranches, cabins, and hillside properties are strung along Highway 1 and the valleys that run back toward the mountains. This dispersed pattern is central to Big Sur's isolated, rural character.

Life in Big Sur is defined by the landscape and by the region's small, independent spirit. There are no chain hotels, supermarkets, or fast-food outlets, and residents rely on a handful of small groceries, restaurants, and roadside businesses scattered along Highway 1. The area's literary and bohemian heritage—shaped by Henry Miller, the Esalen Institute, and the old folk festivals—still colors its identity, alongside the working ranches and volunteer institutions that keep the community running. Daily life means living with limited services, occasional highway closures from storms and landslides, and a deep reliance on neighbors. In exchange, residents inhabit one of the most scenic, protected coastlines in the United States.

Big Sur's small student population is served by two coastal school systems. Captain Cooper Elementary, part of the Carmel Unified School District, sits on Highway 1 in the Big Sur valley, while Pacific Valley School, a pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade school in the single-school Big Sur Unified School District, serves the southern coast. Enrollment is tiny, so classes are intimate and tied closely to the surrounding environment. For families needing a broader range of programs, the larger Carmel and Monterey school systems are a drive to the north, though the winding coastal highway makes that a meaningful trip.

State Route 1 is Big Sur's only through route, a narrow two-lane highway that clings to the cliffs for roughly 71 miles between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon. The road is famous for its scenery and equally known for closures caused by landslides and winter storms, which can isolate sections of the coast. Monterey–Salinas Transit provides limited public bus service, with summer service running a few times daily and weekend-only winter schedules. There is no rail and no airport within the region, and most residents drive for every trip. Access to Monterey, Carmel, and points north is via Highway 1, and the journey is part of daily life.

Big Sur's recreation is overwhelmingly outdoor. A chain of state parks—Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Andrew Molera, Garrapata, Limekiln, and Point Sur State Historic Park—offers redwood trails, coastal headlands, and beaches such as Pfeiffer Beach and Sand Dollar Beach. The Los Padres National Forest and the Ventana and Silver Peak wilderness areas provide backcountry hiking and camping, including the Pine Ridge Trail into the Ventana Wilderness. Landmarks such as McWay Falls, the Point Sur Lightstation, and the Bixby Creek Bridge draw visitors year-round, while the Big Sur International Marathon and the Big Sur River Run anchor the events calendar. Swimming is limited by cold water and strong surf, but walking, photography, and wildlife viewing are constants.