Blog > Belmont vs. San Mateo: Home Prices, Sizes and the City Line (2026)
Belmont and San Mateo sit about 4 miles apart, center to center, both in San Mateo County. Here’s how they compare on what houses, condos and townhomes sold for in the 12 months to October 27, 2026, and on the things that change at the city line: trains, electricity and transfer tax.
The short answer
- Houses: the median sale was $2.38M in Belmont and $2.22M in San Mateo, so a typical Belmont house cost 7% more than one in San Mateo.
- Per square foot: $1,287 in Belmont and $1,309 in San Mateo; the median house was 1,910 sq ft in Belmont and 1,728 sq ft in San Mateo, on a 6,460-sq-ft lot versus a 5,866-sq-ft lot.
- Competition: 67% of Belmont houses sold over asking, against 75% in San Mateo.
- Condos and townhomes: a median of $1.2M in Belmont (31 sales) and $866K in San Mateo (298 sales).
- At the city line: they differ on transfer tax ($2,200 versus $12,200 on a $2 million sale).
See it live
- Open Belmont vs. San Mateo in the City Match-Up: homes for sale now and the last 90 days of sales, side by side.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about the streets that fit in either city.
Houses, side by side
Houses (MLS property type “single family home”) sold in the 12 months to October 27, 2026. The last three rows count listings whose description says so, so they undercount.
| Belmont | San Mateo | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 169 | 506 |
| Median price | $2.38M | $2.22M |
| Median per sq ft | $1,287 | $1,309 |
| Median size | 1,910 sq ft | 1,728 sq ft |
| Median lot | 6,460 sq ft | 5,866 sq ft |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Sold over asking | 67% | 75% |
| Median sale vs. asking | 3.4% over | 9.0% over |
| Sold for $2 million or less | 28% | 43% |
| Listing says single-story | 14% | 13% |
| Listing mentions a pool | 5% | 10% |
| Listing mentions an ADU or in-law unit | 4% | 8% |
Condos and townhomes, side by side
Condos and townhomes sold in the same 12 months.
| Belmont | San Mateo | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 31 | 298 |
| Median price | $1.2M | $866K |
| Median per sq ft | $811 | $772 |
| Median size | 1,367 sq ft | 1,216 sq ft |
| Sold over asking | 32% | 28% |
At the city line
Some costs and services follow the city, not the mailing address.
| Belmont | San Mateo | |
|---|---|---|
| County | San Mateo County | San Mateo County |
| Caltrain | Belmont | San Mateo, Hayward Park and Hillsdale |
| BART | none | none |
| VTA light rail | no | no |
| Electricity | WestLight Energy, delivered by PG&E | WestLight Energy, delivered by PG&E |
| Transfer tax on a $2 million sale | $2,200 | $12,200 |
| Eichler tracts | none on our index | 2 tracts on our Eichler index |
Electricity is the default provider for most homes; some addresses differ. Transfer tax is the county tax plus any city tax, by the rates on our calculators page; who pays it is set in the contract. School district lines don’t follow city lines, so check the district’s own boundary lookup for any address. See City of San Mateo’s transfer tax.
How we counted
Closed sales reported to the MLS and read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with repeat records removed (same MLS number and sale date). A sale is placed by the city in its MLS address, so a few homes in unincorporated pockets count under the nearby city. Medians follow the mix of homes, and cities are averages: blocks within each can differ a lot. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
Go deeper
- Belmont: Belmont city guide, Belmont neighborhoods compared, Belmont home types by the numbers and the Belmont housing market by the numbers.
- San Mateo: San Mateo city guide, San Mateo neighborhoods compared, San Mateo home types by the numbers and the San Mateo housing market by the numbers.
- More comparisons: San Carlos vs. Belmont, San Mateo vs. Burlingame, San Carlos vs. San Mateo, San Mateo vs. Foster City and San Mateo vs. Redwood City.
Weighing the two?
We’ll compare the homes and streets you’re actually considering, on both sides of the line, and set up a search that catches new listings the day they hit. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.