Blog > Moving to Los Altos: What Homes Cost and What to Know (2026)
Moving to Los Altos? Here’s what homes actually sold for in the 12 months to October 27, 2026, how buyers competed for them, and the things that follow the city line: trains, electricity, transfer tax and the county. Every number comes from closed MLS sales or from the city pages already on our site, and most sections link to the full data.
The short answer
- Houses: the median sale was $4.89M ($1,982 per sq ft), and the middle half sold between $4.2M and $5.9M.
- Condos and townhomes: a median of $1.76M, from 54 sales.
- Competition: 72% of houses sold over asking (63% across Silicon Valley and the Peninsula).
- Trains: no Caltrain, BART or light rail station in town.
- At the city line: Santa Clara County; electricity from Silicon Valley Clean Energy, delivered by PG&E; transfer tax of $2,200 on a $2 million sale.
Start your search
- See homes for sale in Los Altos, live from the MLS.
- The Los Altos city guide has our neighborhood guides.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about the move, from the first tour to the closing.
What homes cost
Closed sales in the 12 months to October 27, 2026. Houses are the MLS property type “single family home”.
| Houses | Condos and townhomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales in 12 months | 268 | 54 |
| Median price | $4.89M | $1.76M |
| Middle half sold between | $4.2M–$5.9M | $1.22M–$2.09M |
| Median per sq ft | $1,982 | $1,261 |
| Median size | 2,455 sq ft | 1,334 sq ft |
| Median lot | 10,824 sq ft | — |
| Sold over asking | 72% | 28% |
83% of the year’s 322 sales were houses. Among the houses, 22% of listings said single-story, 16% mentioned an ADU or in-law unit and 26% a pool; those count listing descriptions, so they undercount.
More: Los Altos home types by the numbers, the Los Altos housing market since 2012, Los Altos house prices by bedrooms and the best month to sell in Los Altos.
Getting around
- No train station in town; see homes near Caltrain for the closest stations.
- Downtown: Downtown Los Altos.
- Commuting elsewhere? Relocation Lab sorts cities by distance from your employer, and homes near tech campuses maps 20 headquarters.
Bills and rules that follow the city
- County: Santa Clara County, which sets the county transfer tax and collects property tax.
- Electricity: Silicon Valley Clean Energy, delivered by PG&E for most homes; some addresses differ. See electricity providers by city.
- Water: Cal Water (Los Altos Suburban District). See water providers by city.
- Garbage, recycling and compost: Mission Trail Waste Systems. See garbage service by city.
- Transfer tax: $2,200 on a $2 million sale (county plus any city tax), usually split by local custom and set by the contract. See the Santa Clara County transfer tax by city.
- Eichlers: 2 tracts on our Eichler index.
- Property tax: California’s base rate is 1% of the purchase price, plus voter-approved bonds and parcel taxes that vary by address; your first year can also bring a supplemental bill. See the supplemental bill and the property tax calculator.
- Hazard zones: look up any address on Flood & Fire Zones, and get an insurance quote early (home insurance for buyers).
- Renting it out later? Rent caps and tenant rules by city.
- School districts: district lines don’t follow city lines, so check the district’s own boundary lookup for any address.
Neighborhoods and nearby cities
- Neighborhoods: the Los Altos city guide, Los Altos neighborhoods compared and neighborhoods ranked by price per square foot.
- Weighing a nearby city? Los Altos vs. Cupertino, Los Altos vs. Los Altos Hills, Los Altos vs. Mountain View, Los Altos vs. Palo Alto, Los Altos vs. Sunnyvale, Los Gatos vs. Los Altos and Saratoga vs. Los Altos.
- Any two cities side by side: the City Match-Up.
- Still choosing a city? Where to live in Silicon Valley sorts all 31 by budget, commute and home type.
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 blocks within a city can differ a lot. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
Moving to Los Altos?
We’ll help you narrow the neighborhoods to the ones that fit your budget and commute, tour by video if you’re out of town, and set up a search that catches new listings the day they hit. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.