Blog > Cupertino vs. Santa Clara: Home Prices, Sizes and the City Line (2026)
Cupertino and Santa Clara sit about 5 miles apart, center to center, both in Santa Clara 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 $3.3M in Cupertino and $1.92M in Santa Clara, so a typical Cupertino house cost 72% more than one in Santa Clara.
- Per square foot: $1,660 in Cupertino and $1,324 in Santa Clara; the median house was 2,036 sq ft in Cupertino and 1,535 sq ft in Santa Clara, on a 7,490-sq-ft lot versus a 5,988-sq-ft lot.
- Competition: 71% of Cupertino houses sold over asking, against 70% in Santa Clara.
- Condos and townhomes: a median of $1.28M in Cupertino (65 sales) and $900K in Santa Clara (256 sales).
- At the city line: they differ on trains (Cupertino has no rail station; Santa Clara has Caltrain and VTA light rail) and electricity (Silicon Valley Clean Energy in Cupertino, Silicon Valley Power in Santa Clara).
See it live
- Open Cupertino vs. Santa Clara 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.
| Cupertino | Santa Clara | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 217 | 418 |
| Median price | $3.3M | $1.92M |
| Median per sq ft | $1,660 | $1,324 |
| Median size | 2,036 sq ft | 1,535 sq ft |
| Median lot | 7,490 sq ft | 5,988 sq ft |
| Median bedrooms | 4 | 3 |
| Sold over asking | 71% | 70% |
| Median sale vs. asking | 3.5% over | 4.7% over |
| Sold for $2 million or less | 4% | 53% |
| Listing says single-story | 19% | 14% |
| Listing mentions a pool | 11% | 5% |
| Listing mentions an ADU or in-law unit | 6% | 9% |
Condos and townhomes, side by side
Condos and townhomes sold in the same 12 months.
| Cupertino | Santa Clara | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 65 | 256 |
| Median price | $1.28M | $900K |
| Median per sq ft | $976 | $733 |
| Median size | 1,265 sq ft | 1,297 sq ft |
| Sold over asking | 40% | 49% |
At the city line
Some costs and services follow the city, not the mailing address.
| Cupertino | Santa Clara | |
|---|---|---|
| County | Santa Clara County | Santa Clara County |
| Caltrain | none | Santa Clara |
| BART | none | none |
| VTA light rail | no | yes |
| Electricity | Silicon Valley Clean Energy, delivered by PG&E | Silicon Valley Power (city-owned) |
| Transfer tax on a $2 million sale | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Eichler tracts | 1 tract on our Eichler index | 1 tract 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.
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
- Cupertino: Cupertino city guide, Cupertino neighborhoods compared, Cupertino home types by the numbers and the Cupertino housing market by the numbers.
- Santa Clara: Santa Clara city guide, Santa Clara neighborhoods compared, Santa Clara home types by the numbers and the Santa Clara housing market by the numbers.
- More comparisons: Cupertino vs. Saratoga, Cupertino vs. Sunnyvale, Los Altos vs. Cupertino, San Jose vs. Santa Clara, Santa Clara vs. Sunnyvale, Campbell vs. Cupertino, Cupertino vs. Los Gatos, Cupertino vs. Mountain View, Cupertino vs. Palo Alto, Cupertino vs. San Jose, Milpitas vs. Santa Clara and Mountain View vs. Santa Clara.
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.