Bay Area housing prices: September 2026 county guide

Bay Area housing prices reached a $1,325,000 median for existing single-family detached homes in September 2026, up 1.9% from September 2025 and 4.2% from August. These are closed-sale figures from the California Association of REALTORS® October 19 report, reviewed October 23.

For a buyer, the useful next question is which places and home types deserve a closer look. Start with the county snapshot below, then compare specific cities and homes that could work for your household.

Bay Area housing prices by county: September 2026

Existing single-family detached homes only. Changes compare September with September a year earlier.

Source: C.A.R. September county table. C.A.R. reports the regional median directly. Its county table omits absolute sale counts. Prices are nominal, not same-home returns.

Are Bay Area home prices going up or down?

Seven county medians rose year over year; Santa Clara and Solano fell. Changing sales mix prevents reading these as individual-home appreciation. Source and limitations.

Our interpretation: a regional headline is too broad to decide whether you should stretch for a home, change your search area or wait. Treat the table as a starting point for questions. It does not show that a cheaper county offers an equivalent house, that the strongest recent increase will continue, or that a decline creates a bargain.

For example, if you are considering San Francisco and the Peninsula, write down the actual alternatives: a condo in one location, a detached home in another, or two homes of the same type. Each is a different comparison. A city or county statistic cannot decide how much you should pay for the layout, condition and location that matter to you.

What about condo prices?

Use a separate condo comparison. The table above does not price that option.

In our city comparison tool, choose Condos / co-ops, Single-family homes, or Both. Both keeps the series separate. A condo search can change which locations look plausible, but a lower purchase price needs a second check for building expenses.

For a pair you might actually consider, start with our San Francisco versus Daly City guide. It separates houses from condos and carries its own observation dates. Then inspect the building's HOA documents, reserves, insurance responsibilities and proposed work using the condo buyer's guide.

The decision is whether the specific condo meets your needs at an acceptable total cost. The county house median cannot answer that.

Move from a county headline to a useful city shortlist

The interactive tool covers 25 cities and towns: San Francisco, all 20 incorporated San Mateo County municipalities, and Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. It does not provide city-level coverage across all nine counties.

The city tool uses a separate Redfin series with rolling three-month windows; check each chart's displayed start and end dates. This differs from the September-only C.A.R. county table above. Do not compare those windows as if they were the same period. This article has not imported C.A.R. data into the city charts. Redfin's methodology explains its city windows.

Here is a short route through the research:

These links help turn the search into a decision. They do not supply a recommended offer price.

How much would owning the home cost?

Once you have plausible homes, use their actual prices in the ownership-cost calculator. Keep the county median out of that calculation unless it is explicitly a rough planning scenario.

Collect the inputs that could change your choice:

• A financing quote with its rate, points and other charges.
• An estimate of property taxes after your purchase.
• Insurance availability, coverage and a quote for the address.
• HOA dues and known assessments, where applicable.
• Repairs, upkeep and cash you want left after closing.

Our ownership-cost guide walks through the monthly budget and closing cash separately. For two different loan offers on the same home, use the Loan Estimate comparison guide.

A useful result is a shortlist with a reason for each option and one next question to resolve. “This home fits our routine, and we need a reliable insurance quote before comparing the total cost” is more actionable than “the county median went up.”

A quick checklist before your next viewing

1. Name the comparison: which locations, which home type, and which dates?
2. Find comparable homes: verify interior space, condition and sale terms rather than assuming the city median describes them.
3. Compare ownership costs: use documented inputs for the candidates.
4. Record the deciding question: what could change your choice after reviewing disclosures or getting a quote?

Keep this report as a dated reference. Future editions should use a newly verified release and retain the distinction between county statistics, city history and individual-home evidence.

Sources and scope

The county price inputs and independently recalculated percentage changes come from the linked C.A.R. release. Redfin supplies the separate city-history methodology. The linked local guides explain our tools and their evidence limits. This report offers a research path, not a home valuation, investment forecast or prediction of the next market move.