Blog > What Modern and Contemporary Houses Sell For in Silicon Valley, City by City (2026)
What Modern and Contemporary Houses Sell For in Silicon Valley, City by City (2026)
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How much do modern and contemporary houses sell for in Silicon Valley? In the two years to October 27, 2026, 1,062 houses sold in 31 Silicon Valley cities whose listings called them modern and contemporary houses: architect-designed modern and contemporary houses from the 1970s to today. That’s 5% of all 21,761 house sales. Here’s what they sold for, city by city and ZIP by ZIP, and how they compare with the typical house nearby.
The short answer
- Median price: $2.6M, or $1,273 per square foot, for a median 2,057 sq ft and 4 bedrooms.
- Against the typical house in the same city: 2% more per square foot.
- Sold over asking: 66% of sales with a list price.
- This year vs. last: median $2.69M in the year to Oct 27, 2026 (576 sales), against $2.5M the year before (486 sales), +7%.
- Highest city median (5+ sales): Atherton at $21.95M; lowest: Gilroy at $1.22M.
- Most sales: San Jose (284).
Next steps
- Modern & contemporary homes: how to spot one, where they stand, and the ones for sale now.
- Every style side by side: what each home style sells for.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about modern and contemporary houses on your list.
City by city
Cities with at least 5 sales, highest median first. The last column compares each sale’s price per square foot with the median for all houses in its own city. Fewer than 5 sales: East Palo Alto.
| City | Sales | Median price | Median $/sq ft | Sold over asking | $/sq ft vs. its city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherton | 6 | $21.95M | $2,494 | 67% | 20% more |
| Hillsborough | 20 | $8.34M | $1,664 | 45% | 10% more |
| Los Altos | 28 | $6.17M | $1,782 | 61% | 8% less |
| Monte Sereno | 5 | $6.13M | $1,228 | 60% | 20% less |
| Los Altos Hills | 11 | $6.02M | $1,799 | 36% | 12% more |
| Portola Valley | 23 | $5.21M | $1,375 | 26% | 11% less |
| Saratoga | 18 | $4.41M | $1,653 | 56% | 7% more |
| Woodside | 11 | $4.26M | $1,422 | 36% | 5% more |
| Burlingame | 17 | $4.2M | $1,493 | 59% | 1% less |
| Palo Alto | 66 | $4.2M | $1,933 | 76% | 6% less |
| Menlo Park | 40 | $3.75M | $1,633 | 48% | 3% less |
| Los Gatos | 30 | $3.66M | $1,233 | 37% | 1% more |
| Cupertino | 24 | $3.57M | $1,610 | 67% | 3% less |
| San Carlos | 26 | $3.33M | $1,442 | 58% | 2% more |
| Sunnyvale | 64 | $2.83M | $1,539 | 73% | about the same |
| Belmont | 30 | $2.8M | $1,283 | 70% | about the same |
| Mountain View | 39 | $2.76M | $1,581 | 69% | 5% less |
| Redwood City | 53 | $2.65M | $1,280 | 62% | 2% more |
| Foster City | 14 | $2.57M | $1,140 | 93% | 2% more |
| Millbrae | 9 | $2.52M | $1,244 | 67% | 2% more |
| San Mateo | 60 | $2.46M | $1,305 | 75% | 3% more |
| Campbell | 16 | $2.44M | $1,252 | 63% | 2% more |
| Santa Clara | 51 | $2.28M | $1,414 | 82% | 7% more |
| San Jose | 284 | $1.89M | $1,048 | 70% | 7% more |
| Morgan Hill | 21 | $1.77M | $707 | 52% | 7% more |
| Milpitas | 20 | $1.68M | $1,083 | 65% | 7% more |
| San Bruno | 16 | $1.6M | $1,068 | 75% | 9% more |
| South San Francisco | 15 | $1.57M | $964 | 87% | 8% more |
| Daly City | 26 | $1.47M | $813 | 92% | 1% more |
| Gilroy | 17 | $1.22M | $487 | 35% | 8% less |
ZIP codes with the most sales
ZIP codes with at least 5 modern and contemporary sales, most sales first (up to 15).
| ZIP | City | Sales | Median price | Median $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94025 | Menlo Park | 39 | $3.85M | $1,637 |
| 94087 | Sunnyvale | 34 | $3.17M | $1,627 |
| 94402 | San Mateo | 34 | $2.67M | $1,376 |
| 95051 | Santa Clara | 31 | $2.38M | $1,539 |
| 95124 | San Jose | 31 | $2.94M | $1,233 |
| 94002 | Belmont | 30 | $2.8M | $1,283 |
| 94306 | Palo Alto | 30 | $3.73M | $1,819 |
| 95123 | San Jose | 27 | $1.63M | $1,019 |
| 95125 | San Jose | 27 | $2.5M | $1,114 |
| 94070 | San Carlos | 26 | $3.33M | $1,442 |
| 95014 | Cupertino | 24 | $3.57M | $1,610 |
| 94028 | Portola Valley | 23 | $5.21M | $1,375 |
| 94403 | San Mateo | 23 | $2.27M | $1,287 |
| 94062 | Redwood City | 21 | $3.12M | $1,293 |
| 95037 | Morgan Hill | 21 | $1.77M | $707 |
How listings describe them
The phrases that put these sales in this style, most common first: “modern design” (328), “modern home” (213), “contemporary design” (116), “contemporary home” (108), “modern residence” (52) and “modern masterpiece” (45). Listings name styles loosely, and many modern and contemporary houses never say so, so treat these counts as the ones that called themselves modern and contemporary.
San Francisco, for comparison: 337 modern and contemporary houses sold in the same two years, median $2.37M ($1,126 per sq ft), 77% sold over asking.
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 sale counts as modern and contemporary when its listing description uses that style’s phrases on our Modern & contemporary page; one sale can count for two styles. Price per square foot uses sales with 400 sq ft or more; “vs. its city” uses cities with at least 30 such sales. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
City by city
Prices, neighborhoods and the ones for sale now: San Jose, Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and San Mateo.
Go deeper
The Modern & contemporary page shows how to spot one and the ones for sale now. Every style side by side, and the other styles city by city: Victorian & Edwardian, Craftsman & bungalow, Spanish & Mediterranean, Tudor, storybook & traditional, California ranch, Mid-century modern, Eichler and Modern farmhouse & new construction. All of our styles are on the Home Styles hub, and where to find each style lists the neighborhoods where each one sold most.
Buying or selling a modern and contemporary house?
A Property Nerd will pull the recent sales of houses like yours, same style and same streets, and show you what buyers paid for the details that matter. 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.