Blog > What $3 Million Buys in Silicon Valley: Seven Cities Compared (2026)
What does $3 million buy in Silicon Valley? It depends on the city more than you’d think. We took every house that sold for $2.75M to $3.25M in the last 24 months in seven cities. In Los Gatos, that budget bought a median 2,210 square feet; in Palo Alto, 1,450.
The short answer
- Los Gatos: 2,210 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 9,180 sq ft lot (112 sales).
- Santa Clara: 1,980 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a 7,200 sq ft lot (51 sales).
- Saratoga: 1,970 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 10,600 sq ft lot (48 sales).
- Sunnyvale: 1,760 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 6,600 sq ft lot (250 sales).
- Cupertino: 1,620 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 7,250 sq ft lot (93 sales).
- Los Altos: 1,500 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 10,110 sq ft lot (23 sales).
- Palo Alto: 1,450 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 6,340 sq ft lot (122 sales).
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$2 million ($1.75M–$2.25M)
| City | Sales | Living area | Beds | Baths | Lot | Typical sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | 1 | too few sales | ||||
| Palo Alto | 19 | 960 sq ft | 2 | 1.5 | 4,000 sq ft | 3.5% under asking |
| Sunnyvale | 145 | 1,390 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 5,720 sq ft | 5.6% over asking |
| Cupertino | 18 | 1,680 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 5,270 sq ft | 3.2% under asking |
| Santa Clara | 289 | 1,470 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 5,700 sq ft | 5.3% over asking |
| Los Gatos | 81 | 1,530 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 7,200 sq ft | at asking |
| Saratoga | 7 | too few sales |
$3 million ($2.75M–$3.25M)
| City | Sales | Living area | Beds | Baths | Lot | Typical sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | 23 | 1,500 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 10,110 sq ft | at asking |
| Palo Alto | 122 | 1,450 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 6,340 sq ft | 6.4% over asking |
| Sunnyvale | 250 | 1,760 sq ft | 4 | 2 | 6,600 sq ft | 10.5% over asking |
| Cupertino | 93 | 1,620 sq ft | 3 | 2 | 7,250 sq ft | 3.6% over asking |
| Santa Clara | 51 | 1,980 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 7,200 sq ft | 12.1% over asking |
| Los Gatos | 112 | 2,210 sq ft | 4 | 2.5 | 9,180 sq ft | 0.1% over asking |
| Saratoga | 48 | 1,970 sq ft | 4 | 2.5 | 10,600 sq ft | 0.5% under asking |
$4 million ($3.75M–$4.25M)
| City | Sales | Living area | Beds | Baths | Lot | Typical sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | 94 | 2,270 sq ft | 4 | 2.5 | 10,200 sq ft | 2.8% over asking |
| Palo Alto | 86 | 1,910 sq ft | 4 | 2 | 7,000 sq ft | 7.1% over asking |
| Sunnyvale | 42 | 2,520 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 8,100 sq ft | 14.9% over asking |
| Cupertino | 68 | 2,600 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 7,610 sq ft | 5.1% over asking |
| Santa Clara | 2 | too few sales | ||||
| Los Gatos | 66 | 2,880 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 11,630 sq ft | 0.9% under asking |
| Saratoga | 75 | 2,630 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 12,700 sq ft | 3.8% over asking |
$5 million ($4.75M–$5.25M)
| City | Sales | Living area | Beds | Baths | Lot | Typical sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | 75 | 2,350 sq ft | 4 | 2.5 | 11,100 sq ft | 7.2% over asking |
| Palo Alto | 44 | 2,380 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 7,040 sq ft | 6.2% over asking |
| Sunnyvale | 1 | too few sales | ||||
| Cupertino | 9 | too few sales | ||||
| Santa Clara | 0 | too few sales | ||||
| Los Gatos | 16 | 3,490 sq ft | 5 | 4 | 20,920 sq ft | 1% under asking |
| Saratoga | 39 | 3,200 sq ft | 5 | 3.5 | 14,040 sq ft | 5.3% over asking |
Why the same budget buys so differently
Land. A large part of a Silicon Valley house price is the lot and the address, and that part varies far more from city to city than the cost of the house on it. Where land costs more, $3 million buys less house; where it costs less, more. Lot sizes differ too: at $3 million, the median lot ran from 6,340 square feet in Palo Alto to 10,600 in Saratoga.
Each city in detail
- What your budget buys in Los Altos
- What your budget buys in Palo Alto
- What your budget buys in Sunnyvale
- What your budget buys in Cupertino
- What your budget buys in Santa Clara
- What your budget buys in Los Gatos
- What your budget buys in Saratoga
Condos and townhomes, city by city
Medians, the last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026).
| City | Median condo or townhome | Living area | Per sq ft | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | $883K | 1,290 sq ft | $733 | 233 |
| Cupertino | $1.26M | 1,260 sq ft | $975 | 59 |
| Sunnyvale | $1.35M | 1,460 sq ft | $873 | 339 |
| Saratoga | $1.43M | 1,560 sq ft | $902 | 44 |
| Los Gatos | $1.45M | 1,450 sq ft | $906 | 88 |
| Palo Alto | $1.5M | 1,390 sq ft | $1,082 | 132 |
| Los Altos | $1.77M | 1,330 sq ft | $1,307 | 51 |
Questions we get
Where does $2 million buy a house in Silicon Valley?
Of these seven cities, Palo Alto (19 sales, a median 960 sq ft), Sunnyvale (145 sales, a median 1,390 sq ft), Cupertino (18 sales, a median 1,680 sq ft), Santa Clara (289 sales, a median 1,470 sq ft) and Los Gatos (81 sales, a median 1,530 sq ft) had at least 10 house sales between $1.75M and $2.25M in the last 24 months.
Which city gives the most house for $3 million?
Los Gatos: a median 2,210 square feet at $2.75M to $3.25M. In Palo Alto, the same budget bought 1,450.
What’s the least expensive way into these cities?
Condos and townhomes. The medians run from $883K in Santa Clara to $1.77M in Los Altos.
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. The window is the last 24 months (October 28, 2024 to October 27, 2026). Each budget is a $500,000 range centered on the round number. Ranges with fewer than 10 sales are left out. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home, and nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice.
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.