Blog > Moving to Los Altos Hills: What Homes Cost and What to Know (2026)
Moving to Los Altos Hills? 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 $5.61M ($1,595 per sq ft), and the middle half sold between $4.62M and $7.35M.
- Condos and townhomes: none sold in the year; every sale was a house.
- Competition: 37% 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 Hills, live from the MLS.
- The Los Altos Hills 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 | 102 | — |
| Median price | $5.61M | — |
| Middle half sold between | $4.62M–$7.35M | — |
| Median per sq ft | $1,595 | — |
| Median size | 3,769 sq ft | — |
| Median lot | 1.11 acres | — |
| Sold over asking | 37% | — |
All 102 of the year’s sales were houses. Among the houses, 14% of listings said single-story, 22% mentioned an ADU or in-law unit and 48% a pool; those count listing descriptions, so they undercount.
More: Los Altos Hills home types by the numbers.
Getting around
- No train station in town; see homes near Caltrain for the closest stations.
- Colleges and hospitals: Foothill College.
- 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: Purissima Hills Water District (about two-thirds of the town) and Cal Water (the rest). See water providers by city.
- Garbage, recycling and compost: GreenWaste Recovery. 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.
- 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 Hills city guide and Los Altos Hills neighborhoods compared.
- Weighing a nearby city? Los Altos vs. Los Altos Hills, Portola Valley vs. Los Altos Hills and Saratoga vs. Los Altos Hills.
- 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 Hills?
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.