Blog > Do Silicon Valley Homes Have Air Conditioning? City by City (2026)
Do Silicon Valley homes have air conditioning? Many don’t: plenty of houses here were built for mild summers and a cool marine layer. We read the listing descriptions of all 21,740 houses sold in 31 Silicon Valley cities in the two years to October 27, 2026 and counted those that mention central air, air conditioning, a heat pump or a mini-split: 4,229, or 19%. The share runs from 27% in Sunnyvale down to 2% in Daly City.
The short answer
- Most likely to mention air conditioning: Sunnyvale (27%), Santa Clara (27%), San Jose (27%) and Milpitas (25%).
- Least likely: Daly City (2%), South San Francisco (3%), San Bruno (3%) and Hillsborough (4%).
- By price: 17% of houses under $1.5M mention it, 24% from $1.5M to $2.5M, 20% from $2.5M to $4M and 12% at $4M and up.
- Houses that mention it sold for a median $2M, 3% more per square foot than the typical house in the same city (others: $2.01M).
Next steps
- Search homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- What’s my home worth? A starting estimate, then a real one from a Property Nerd.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about what you’re weighing.
City by city
Share of each city’s house sales whose listing mentions air conditioning, highest first (cities with at least 30 house sales). “vs. city” compares the price per square foot of those houses with the median for all houses in the city.
| City | House sales | Mention A/C | Share | With A/C, $/sq ft vs. city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnyvale | 980 | 263 | 27% | 3% more |
| Santa Clara | 840 | 225 | 27% | 4% more |
| San Jose | 7,715 | 2,051 | 27% | 4% more |
| Milpitas | 374 | 93 | 25% | about the same |
| Campbell | 399 | 96 | 24% | 5% more |
| Redwood City | 931 | 189 | 20% | 5% more |
| Mountain View | 478 | 97 | 20% | about the same |
| Cupertino | 417 | 77 | 18% | 2% more |
| Gilroy | 714 | 125 | 18% | 3% more |
| Saratoga | 460 | 80 | 17% | 4% more |
| Los Gatos | 744 | 128 | 17% | 7% more |
| Morgan Hill | 689 | 117 | 17% | 1% less |
| Los Altos | 549 | 83 | 15% | 3% more |
| Palo Alto | 776 | 116 | 15% | 4% less |
| East Palo Alto | 157 | 23 | 15% | 4% less |
| San Mateo | 1,009 | 137 | 14% | 3% more |
| Menlo Park | 551 | 74 | 13% | 6% more |
| San Carlos | 474 | 62 | 13% | 4% more |
| Belmont | 335 | 42 | 13% | 4% less |
| Burlingame | 361 | 35 | 10% | 4% more |
| Portola Valley | 145 | 11 | 8% | 3% less |
| Los Altos Hills | 192 | 14 | 7% | 17% more |
| Monte Sereno | 78 | 5 | 6% | — |
| Woodside | 142 | 9 | 6% | — |
| Millbrae | 222 | 14 | 6% | 8% less |
| Foster City | 177 | 9 | 5% | — |
| Atherton | 142 | 7 | 5% | — |
| Hillsborough | 231 | 10 | 4% | 14% less |
| San Bruno | 385 | 13 | 3% | 1% less |
| South San Francisco | 434 | 12 | 3% | 13% less |
| Daly City | 639 | 12 | 2% | 2% less |
Why it varies
- Climate. Cities in the fog belt near the coast, like Daly City and South San Francisco, stay cool in summer, and few of their listings mention air conditioning; the valley floor from Sunnyvale to San Jose gets much warmer, and about a quarter of listings there mention it.
- Age. Many houses from the 1940s to the 1960s were built without ducts for cooling; newer and rebuilt houses usually have it.
- Listings don’t always say. A house that doesn’t mention air conditioning may still have it, so the true share is higher. Ask, and check the disclosures.
Adding it later
- Heat pumps heat and cool with one system and can replace an old furnace.
- Ductless mini-splits suit houses without ducts, like many Eichlers and older ranches.
- Check the electrical panel first: adding cooling, an EV charger and an induction range can call for an upgrade.
- Permits are required for new heating and cooling equipment; rebates change often, so check with your electricity provider before you buy.
How we counted
Closed sales of houses (MLS property type “single family home”) between October 28, 2024 and October 27, 2026 in 31 cities of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, reported to the MLS and read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with repeat records from different feeds removed (normalized address plus sale date). A house counts when its listing description says so, so the true number is higher than shown. Price per square foot uses sales with 400 sq ft or more; “vs. its city” compares each sale’s price per square foot with the median for all houses in its own city (cities with at least 30 such sales). Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
Go deeper
See who supplies electricity in your city, pair cooling with solar in the Solar Lab, and read what inspectors flag in the Inspection Decoder. More from the same sales: homes with solar or EV charging, what Silicon Valley buyers pay more for (every feature ranked), single-story homes, homes with an ADU, with a pool and with a view.
Want a home that stays cool?
A Property Nerd will pull the recent sales closest to the home you’re weighing and show you what buyers paid. 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.