Blog > San Mateo vs. Foster City: Home Prices, Sizes and the City Line (2026)
San Mateo and Foster City sit about 3 miles apart, center to center, both in San Mateo County. Here’s how they compare on what houses, condos and townhomes sold for in the 12 months to October 27, 2026, and on the things that change at the city line: trains, electricity and transfer tax.
The short answer
- Houses: the median sale was $2.22M in San Mateo and $2.22M in Foster City, so typical houses cost about the same in both.
- Per square foot: $1,309 in San Mateo and $1,092 in Foster City; the median house was 1,728 sq ft in San Mateo and 2,064 sq ft in Foster City, on a 5,866-sq-ft lot versus a 5,700-sq-ft lot.
- Competition: 75% of San Mateo houses sold over asking, against 74% in Foster City.
- Condos and townhomes: a median of $866K in San Mateo (298 sales) and $1.25M in Foster City (145 sales).
- At the city line: they differ on trains (San Mateo has Caltrain; Foster City has no rail station) and transfer tax ($12,200 versus $2,200 on a $2 million sale).
See it live
- Open San Mateo vs. Foster City in the City Match-Up: homes for sale now and the last 90 days of sales, side by side.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about the streets that fit in either city.
Houses, side by side
Houses (MLS property type “single family home”) sold in the 12 months to October 27, 2026. The last three rows count listings whose description says so, so they undercount.
| San Mateo | Foster City | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 506 | 72 |
| Median price | $2.22M | $2.22M |
| Median per sq ft | $1,309 | $1,092 |
| Median size | 1,728 sq ft | 2,064 sq ft |
| Median lot | 5,866 sq ft | 5,700 sq ft |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 4 |
| Sold over asking | 75% | 74% |
| Median sale vs. asking | 9.0% over | 4.0% over |
| Sold for $2 million or less | 43% | 31% |
| Listing says single-story | 13% | 21% |
| Listing mentions a pool | 10% | 10% |
| Listing mentions an ADU or in-law unit | 8% | 0% |
Condos and townhomes, side by side
Condos and townhomes sold in the same 12 months.
| San Mateo | Foster City | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 298 | 145 |
| Median price | $866K | $1.25M |
| Median per sq ft | $772 | $826 |
| Median size | 1,216 sq ft | 1,490 sq ft |
| Sold over asking | 28% | 45% |
At the city line
Some costs and services follow the city, not the mailing address.
| San Mateo | Foster City | |
|---|---|---|
| County | San Mateo County | San Mateo County |
| Caltrain | San Mateo, Hayward Park and Hillsdale | none |
| BART | none | none |
| VTA light rail | no | no |
| Electricity | WestLight Energy, delivered by PG&E | WestLight Energy, delivered by PG&E |
| Transfer tax on a $2 million sale | $12,200 | $2,200 |
| Eichler tracts | 2 tracts on our Eichler index | 1 tract on our Eichler index |
Electricity is the default provider for most homes; some addresses differ. Transfer tax is the county tax plus any city tax, by the rates on our calculators page; who pays it is set in the contract. School district lines don’t follow city lines, so check the district’s own boundary lookup for any address. See City of San Mateo’s transfer tax.
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 cities are averages: blocks within each can differ a lot. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
Go deeper
- San Mateo: San Mateo city guide, San Mateo neighborhoods compared, San Mateo home types by the numbers and the San Mateo housing market by the numbers.
- Foster City: Foster City guide page, Foster City neighborhoods compared, Foster City home types by the numbers and the Foster City housing market by the numbers.
- More comparisons: San Mateo vs. Burlingame, Belmont vs. San Mateo, San Carlos vs. San Mateo and San Mateo vs. Redwood City.
Weighing the two?
We’ll compare the homes and streets you’re actually considering, on both sides of the line, and set up a search that catches new listings the day they hit. 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.