Price Per Square Foot
Price Per Square Foot by City: California and Texas (2026)
Updated November 11, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822
A home cost a median $1,132 per square foot in San Francisco over the last 12 months and $164 in Houston, the highest and lowest of the 10 California and Texas cities we track. Dallas has the widest neighborhood spread, 3.3 to 1, from Lakewood at $498/sq ft to Pleasant Mound at $149/sq ft, while Irvine has the narrowest at 1.8 to 1. Every California city costs more per foot than every Texas city: Oakland, the lowest in California at $560, is still above Austin, the highest in Texas at $289.
TurboHome Market Analysis · 10 cities in California and Texas · Nov 1, 2025 to Oct 31, 2026 · Last updated November 11, 2026
The figures are medians from single-family, condo and townhouse closings in our MLS feed from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026. Each city page has the full neighborhood table, prices by price range and home size, and the monthly trend.
Price per square foot in 10 cities
| City | Closings | Median $/sq ft | Middle half | Single-family $/sq ft | Condo $/sq ft | Median price | Change vs a year earlier | Priciest listed neighborhood | Cheapest listed neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 3,926 | $1,132 | $896 to $1,373 | $1,172 | $1,108 | $1,600,000 | +13.8% | Noe Valley ($1,529) | Bayview ($639) |
| Oakland, CA | 2,364 | $560 | $446 to $745 | $600 | $477 | $810,000 | flat (0.0%) | Temescal ($963) | Chinatown ($381) |
| San Jose, CA | 3,053 | $861 | $680 to $1,072 | $977 | $610 | $1,367,500 | -2.6% | Bucknall ($1,349) | The Villages ($501) |
| Los Angeles, CA | 7,471 | $738 | $576 to $986 | $799 | $644 | $1,150,000 | -2.9% | Mar Vista ($1,102) | Montecito Heights ($561) |
| San Diego, CA | 8,418 | $669 | $559 to $810 | $726 | $608 | $925,000 | -1.8% | Pacific Beach ($963) | Otay Mesa ($414) |
| Irvine, CA | 1,992 | $791 | $698 to $897 | $872 | $743 | $1,502,500 | -4.4% | Turtle Ridge ($1,195) | Great Park Neighborhoods ($665) |
| Dallas, TX | 9,330 | $248 | $182 to $345 | $247 | $247 | $456,000 | +1.2% | Lakewood ($498) | Pleasant Mound ($149) |
| Fort Worth, TX | 11,024 | $175 | $153 to $198 | $175 | $234 | $335,500 | -1.1% | Arlington Heights ($287) | Summer Creek ($135) |
| Houston, TX | 21,799 | $164 | $130 to $220 | $165 | $155 | $315,000 | -1.8% | Greater Heights / Houston Heights ($320) | Brays Oaks ($118) |
| Austin, TX | 3,031 | $289 | $225 to $397 | $281 | $335 | $552,343 | n/a (feed starts June 2026) | Downtown ($704) | Easton Park ($222) |
California: highest in San Francisco, flat or falling elsewhere
San Francisco is the most expensive city per foot at $1,132, and the only one of the six California cities where the median rose over the year (+13.8%). Oakland was flat at $560, while San Jose (-2.6%), Los Angeles (-2.9%), San Diego (-1.8%) and Irvine (-4.4%) fell. Single-family homes cost more per foot than condos in all six, with the widest gap in San Jose: $977 against $610. Noe Valley in San Francisco is the priciest listed neighborhood in either state at $1,529/sq ft.
Texas: $164 to $289 per square foot
Austin leads Texas at $289/sq ft, followed by Dallas at $248, Fort Worth at $175 and Houston at $164. Dallas rose 1.2% while Fort Worth (-1.1%) and Houston (-1.8%) slipped; Austin has no comparison because our Austin feed starts in June 2026. Unlike California, condos cost more per foot than single-family homes in Fort Worth ($234 against $175) and Austin ($335 against $281).
How to use price per square foot when you make an offer
Compare a listing with recent sales in the same neighborhood and of the same home type, adjust for size, and check how far homes there sell above or below list. Each city page has the numbers for all three.
On TurboHome's own California closings from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026, buyers paid a median $727/sq ft against a median list price of $720/sq ft (253 closings with a recorded living area; the median difference per home was $0), and 45.2% of 270 closings were below the list price. On the 74 California closings where TurboHome's comparable-based valuation was recorded, buyers paid a median $16/sq ft below that estimate.
On TurboHome's own Texas closings from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026, a small sample of 38, buyers paid a median $204/sq ft against a median list price of $202/sq ft (34 closings with a recorded living area), and 59.5% of 37 closings were below the list price.
Before a TurboHome buyer writes an offer, their agent runs a comparable-based valuation of the home and an AI offer-acceptance prediction, so the offer price rests on recent sales of similar homes rather than a citywide average.
Price per square foot guides by city
Bay Area
Los Angeles and Orange County
Dallas-Fort Worth
Methodology
Source: TurboHome's MLS closings data (our MLS feed), closings from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026, compared with November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025.
Filters: closed price of at least $50,000, living area of at least 200 sq ft, price per square foot between $20 and $5,000, and single-family homes, condos and townhouses only. Price per square foot is the closed price divided by the recorded living area.
Neighborhoods: each city page lists its highest-volume neighborhoods with at least 20 closings. Single-family and condo figures appear only where that type had 12 or more closings, and year-over-year changes only where a neighborhood had 12 or more closings a year earlier. Every figure is a median.
City notes:
- Austin: our Austin feed starts in June 2026, so Austin covers a shorter window and has no year-over-year comparison.
- Houston: October 2026 closings were still arriving when the data was pulled.
- San Francisco: townhouses get no row of their own because only 33 closed in the window.
FAQ
How much does a home cost per square foot in California and Texas?
It ranges from a median $164/sq ft in Houston to $1,132/sq ft in San Francisco across the 10 cities we track. In California the medians run from $560 in Oakland to $1,132 in San Francisco; in Texas, from $164 in Houston to $289 in Austin.
Which neighborhood has the highest price per square foot?
Of the neighborhoods we list, Noe Valley in San Francisco is the highest at a median $1,529/sq ft. Outside San Francisco, the priciest is Bucknall in San Jose at $1,349. In Texas, Downtown Austin is the highest at $704/sq ft.
Is price per square foot a good way to value a home?
It is a useful first check, not a valuation. The per-foot number moves with neighborhood, home type, size and condition, so compare a home only with recent sales of similar homes nearby. TurboHome agents price an offer from a comparable-based valuation instead of a citywide average.
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in California and Texas?
TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer's brokerage that refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission to the buyer at closing in both states. Our roundups also cover Homa, Prevu, Congress Realty and Clever Real Estate in both states, plus beycome in California and Trelora in Texas; see the California roundup and the Texas roundup for how each one works.
Related guides
- HOA fees by city
- Closing costs by city
- How much over asking to offer, by city
- Days on market by city
- Condo vs house prices by city
- Property taxes by city
- Up and coming neighborhoods
- California home buying guides
- Texas home buying guides
- Answers on commissions and rebates
- What TurboHome costs
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Kevin Kretzmer
Head Agent, California
Kevin Kretzmer leads TurboHome's California agent team and reviews California and national buyer guidance for practical brokerage accuracy.
View Kevin's profile