Blog > Price per Square Foot by House Size in Silicon Valley: Seven Cities (2026)
Price per Square Foot by House Size in Silicon Valley: Seven Cities (2026)
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Price per square foot is Silicon Valley’s favorite number, and it changes with the size of the house as much as with the city. Here are seven cities’ house sales from the last 24 months, sorted by living area, with the price per foot for each size and what the next 100 square feet adds on each city’s median house.
The short answer
- Palo Alto: $2,128 a foot at the median; $2,426 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,868 for 4,000 sq ft and up.
- Los Altos: $1,956 a foot at the median; $2,814 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,574 for 4,000 sq ft and up.
- Cupertino: $1,653 a foot at the median; $2,161 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,170 for 4,000 sq ft and up.
- Saratoga: $1,574 a foot at the median; $2,015 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,281 for 4,000 sq ft and up.
- Sunnyvale: $1,549 a foot at the median; $1,677 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,197 for 3,000–4,000 sq ft.
- Santa Clara: $1,323 a foot at the median; $1,492 for under 1,500 sq ft, $1,063 for 2,500–3,000 sq ft.
- Los Gatos: $1,220 a foot at the median; $1,379 for under 1,500 sq ft, $986 for 4,000 sq ft and up.
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Price per square foot by size, every city
Houses sold in the last 24 months (October 28, 2024 to October 27, 2026); a dash means fewer than 12 sales.
| City | Under 1,500 sq ft | 1,500–2,000 sq ft | 2,000–2,500 sq ft | 2,500–3,000 sq ft | 3,000–4,000 sq ft | 4,000 sq ft and up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | $2,814 | $2,296 | $1,939 | $1,849 | $1,766 | $1,574 |
| Palo Alto | $2,426 | $2,024 | $1,918 | $1,919 | $1,815 | $1,868 |
| Sunnyvale | $1,677 | $1,603 | $1,386 | $1,297 | $1,197 | — |
| Cupertino | $2,161 | $1,846 | $1,602 | $1,394 | $1,276 | $1,170 |
| Santa Clara | $1,492 | $1,241 | $1,120 | $1,063 | — | — |
| Los Gatos | $1,379 | $1,367 | $1,293 | $1,245 | $1,116 | $986 |
| Saratoga | $2,015 | $1,733 | $1,692 | $1,593 | $1,423 | $1,281 |
Why it falls as houses get bigger
Part of every house price is the land and the address, which doesn’t grow with the floor plan. Kitchens and bathrooms, the costliest rooms, are also a bigger share of a small house. So comparing a small house’s price per foot with a big one’s can mislead by hundreds of dollars a foot. Compare like sizes.
Each city in detail
- Los Altos price per square foot by house size
- Palo Alto price per square foot by house size
- Sunnyvale price per square foot by house size
- Cupertino price per square foot by house size
- Santa Clara price per square foot by house size
- Los Gatos price per square foot by house size
- Saratoga price per square foot by house size
What the next 100 square feet adds
Applied to each city’s median house, holding lot, bedrooms and bathrooms equal. Each added foot is worth far less than the average foot, because the land is already counted.
| City | Median house | Living area | Average per sq ft | Next 100 sq ft | Per added foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto | $4M | 1,910 sq ft | $2,128 | $115,000 | $1,149 |
| Los Altos | $4.9M | 2,490 sq ft | $1,956 | $69,000 | $691 |
| Cupertino | $3.33M | 2,100 sq ft | $1,653 | $45,000 | $447 |
| Saratoga | $4.28M | 2,780 sq ft | $1,574 | $81,000 | $811 |
| Sunnyvale | $2.63M | 1,640 sq ft | $1,549 | $100,000 | $1,002 |
| Santa Clara | $1.97M | 1,540 sq ft | $1,323 | $59,000 | $587 |
| Los Gatos | $2.67M | 2,300 sq ft | $1,220 | $105,000 | $1,050 |
Condos and townhomes
Medians, the last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026).
| City | Per sq ft | Living area | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | $1,307 | 1,330 sq ft | $1.77M |
| Palo Alto | $1,082 | 1,390 sq ft | $1.5M |
| Cupertino | $975 | 1,260 sq ft | $1.26M |
| Los Gatos | $906 | 1,450 sq ft | $1.45M |
| Saratoga | $902 | 1,560 sq ft | $1.43M |
| Sunnyvale | $873 | 1,460 sq ft | $1.35M |
| Santa Clara | $733 | 1,290 sq ft | $883K |
Questions we get
Which Silicon Valley city has the highest price per square foot?
Of these seven, Palo Alto: $2,128 a square foot for houses sold in the last 12 months. Los Gatos was lowest, at $1,220.
Why do big houses cost less per square foot?
The land and the address are part of every price, and that part doesn’t grow with the floor plan. Spread over more feet, it’s less per foot.
What’s the price per square foot for condos?
From $733 in Santa Clara to $1,307 in Los Altos, at the median.
How we counted
Medians of closed sales reported to the MLS and read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, one record per sale with a usable living area and map position, the same rules as our city price posts. Houses are MLS property type “single family home”; condos include townhomes. City medians use the last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026); the size table uses the last 24 months (October 28, 2024 to October 27, 2026). The 100-square-foot figure is from each city’s regression of log price on log living area, log lot, bedrooms, bathrooms and month. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home, and nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. See also the price per square foot map.
Talk to a Property Nerd
We’re the Property Nerds at Compass, recognized as NextGenAgents by a national real estate portal. We’ll pull the sales that matter for your home and your plans, and walk you through what they mean. 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.