Blog > San Francisco Houses Under $1.5 Million: Where They Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
San Francisco Houses Under $1.5 Million: Where They Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
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Shopping for a house in San Francisco on a budget near $1.5 million? Of the 4,562 single-family houses that sold in the two years to October 27, 2026, by the MLS records we can read with repeat records removed, 1,608 (35%) sold for less than $1.5 million. Here is where those sales happened, inside each of our neighborhood guides, with two other price levels for context.
The short answer
- Across the city: 23% of house sales closed under $1.2M, 35% under $1.5M and 59% under $2M. The median house sold for $1.75M.
- Where most sold under $1.5M (guides with at least 8 house sales): Excelsior & Outer Mission (80%) and Oceanview, Merced Heights & Ingleside (76%).
- Where almost none did: Diamond Heights (3%), Presidio Heights & Laurel Heights (2%), West Portal (0%), St. Francis Wood & Monterey Heights (0%), Marina (0%) and Cow Hollow (0%).
- What it bought: the houses that sold under $1.5M had a median of 1,260 sq ft, against 1,770 sq ft for all houses.
Next steps in San Francisco
- What’s my San Francisco home worth? Request an estimate, and ask us for the recent sales on your street.
- See San Francisco homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- Book a strategy call with a Property Nerd.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Guides with at least 8 house sales, highest share under $1.5M first. Each cell shows how many houses sold under that price and their share of the guide’s house sales. Each name opens its guide, with live listings and the last 12 months of sales.
| Neighborhood | House sales | Median price | Under $1.2M | Under $1.5M | Under $2M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior & Outer Mission | 380 | $1.18M | 219 (58%) | 305 (80%) | 369 (97%) |
| Oceanview, Merced Heights & Ingleside | 184 | $1.25M | 89 (48%) | 139 (76%) | 179 (97%) |
| Russian Hill | 54 | $1.57M | 17 (31%) | 23 (43%) | 34 (63%) |
| Telegraph Hill & North Beach | 35 | $2.82M | 11 (31%) | 14 (40%) | 14 (40%) |
| Bernal Heights | 301 | $1.7M | 65 (22%) | 107 (36%) | 202 (67%) |
| Mission Dolores & Dolores Heights | 81 | $2.3M | 21 (26%) | 25 (31%) | 39 (48%) |
| Potrero Hill & Dogpatch | 79 | $1.96M | 16 (20%) | 23 (29%) | 40 (51%) |
| Parkside | 378 | $1.71M | 28 (7%) | 103 (27%) | 263 (70%) |
| Outer & Central Sunset | 311 | $1.7M | 25 (8%) | 79 (25%) | 213 (68%) |
| Twin Peaks & Midtown Terrace | 86 | $1.86M | 9 (10%) | 21 (24%) | 50 (58%) |
| Miraloma Park & Sunnyside | 247 | $1.78M | 28 (11%) | 60 (24%) | 149 (60%) |
| Castro & Eureka Valley | 124 | $2.5M | 19 (15%) | 26 (21%) | 40 (32%) |
| Inner Richmond & Lone Mountain | 83 | $2.33M | 12 (14%) | 16 (19%) | 31 (37%) |
| Noe Valley | 245 | $2.61M | 32 (13%) | 43 (18%) | 77 (31%) |
| Glen Park | 126 | $2.2M | 12 (10%) | 22 (17%) | 51 (40%) |
| Outer & Central Richmond | 246 | $2M | 16 (7%) | 34 (14%) | 123 (50%) |
| Haight-Ashbury & Cole Valley | 88 | $3.05M | 5 (6%) | 10 (11%) | 20 (23%) |
| Inner Sunset & Golden Gate Heights | 134 | $2.14M | 7 (5%) | 15 (11%) | 50 (37%) |
| Ingleside Terraces & Balboa Terrace | 48 | $2.46M | 0 (0%) | 4 (8%) | 12 (25%) |
| Pacific Heights | 97 | $6.85M | 5 (5%) | 7 (7%) | 13 (13%) |
| Sea Cliff & Lake District | 56 | $4.86M | 3 (5%) | 4 (7%) | 5 (9%) |
| Forest Hill & Forest Hills Extension | 52 | $2.71M | 1 (2%) | 3 (6%) | 14 (27%) |
| Diamond Heights | 36 | $2.45M | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | 6 (17%) |
| Presidio Heights & Laurel Heights | 48 | $6.51M | 0 (0%) | 1 (2%) | 6 (13%) |
| West Portal | 35 | $2.85M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (6%) |
| St. Francis Wood & Monterey Heights | 47 | $3.54M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (4%) |
| Marina | 57 | $4.17M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (7%) |
| Cow Hollow | 35 | $5.81M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (9%) |
Reading it right
- These are sale prices, not list prices. Many San Francisco houses sell over asking, so a house listed under your budget can close above it.
- Houses only. Condos and townhomes, which sell for less, have their own post.
- The houses differ. Under-budget sales are often smaller (see the size comparison above), and a neighborhood’s mix of sizes and lots drives its numbers.
- Small samples swing. Every cell shows its count.
- Past sales aren’t a forecast of what you’ll find next month.
- Each sale counts once; none falls inside two of our guide outlines.
How we counted
Closed sales of single-family houses reported to the MLS, read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with one record per MLS number and only sales with a recorded living area and a map position, placed inside each guide’s outline. A sale counts as under a price if it closed below it.
Go deeper
The Budget Lab shows what your budget bought in up to three cities, and the Price Ladder shows where San Francisco’s entry price and top end sit. For the top end, see where San Francisco houses sold for $3.5 million or more. For San Francisco, see house prices by bedrooms, neighborhoods ranked by price per square foot and where homes sell over asking; the San Francisco city guide links every guide.
Common questions
Where can I find a house under $1.5 million in San Francisco?
In the two years to October 27, 2026, 1,608 of 4,562 house sales (35%) closed under $1.5M. The most were in Excelsior & Outer Mission (305), Oceanview, Merced Heights & Ingleside (139) and Bernal Heights (107).
What are the most affordable San Francisco neighborhoods for houses?
By median house price over the same two years, among guides with at least 8 house sales: Excelsior & Outer Mission ($1.18M), Oceanview, Merced Heights & Ingleside ($1.25M) and Russian Hill ($1.57M).
How big is a house under $1.5 million in San Francisco?
Houses that sold under $1.5M had a median of 1,260 sq ft, against 1,770 sq ft for all San Francisco houses.
The San Francisco data series: neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses at $3.5M and up · the best month to sell · the most expensive streets · houses by neighborhood · the most expensive streets from San Francisco to San Jose
Shopping on a budget in San Francisco?
A Property Nerd will set up alerts for houses near your price, pull the recent sales in the neighborhoods that fit, and tell you how far over asking homes like the one you want have been selling. 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.