Price per square foot by metro ranged from $659 in Los Angeles to $164 in St. Louis in July 2026, a nearly fourfold gap for the same amount of living space, according to Realtor.com listing data published on FRED [2]. The national median listing price was $226 per square foot, down 2.2% from $231 a year earlier [2]. Among the 25 largest metros, housing space is cheapest in St. Louis, Houston and San Antonio, and most expensive in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
Price per square foot by metro: the July 2026 ranking
Price per square foot adjusts for home size, which makes it a fairer comparison between markets than the median price alone. A metro where most listings are large suburban houses can have a high median price but a modest cost per square foot. The figures below are Realtor.com's median listing price per square foot for July 2026, compared with July 2025, for the 25 largest metros, together with Zillow's median list price for the same month from DataPorium [1][2]. The column on space shows how many square feet $400,000 buys at each metro's median price per square foot.
| Rank | Metro | Price per sq ft, July 2026 | July 2025 | 1-year change | Sq ft for $400,000 | Median list price, July 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $659 | $673 | -2.1% | 607 | $999,000 |
| 2 | San Francisco | $630 | $662 | -4.8% | 635 | $929,000 |
| 3 | San Diego | $600 | $619 | -3.1% | 667 | $899,000 |
| 4 | New York | $521 | $498 | +4.6% | 768 | $748,000 |
| 5 | Boston | $474 | $479 | -1.0% | 844 | $769,000 |
| 6 | Seattle | $438 | $448 | -2.2% | 913 | $745,000 |
| 7 | Miami | $356 | $360 | -1.1% | 1,124 | $469,000 |
| 8 | Riverside | $334 | $339 | -1.5% | 1,198 | $589,000 |
| 9 | Portland | $306 | $313 | -2.2% | 1,307 | $574,900 |
| 10 | Washington | $305 | $311 | -1.9% | 1,311 | $550,000 |
| 11 | Denver | $284 | $293 | -3.1% | 1,408 | $570,000 |
| 12 | Phoenix | $267 | $271 | -1.5% | 1,498 | $475,000 |
| 13 | Tampa | $236 | $248 | -4.8% | 1,695 | $385,000 |
| 14 | Philadelphia | $231 | $231 | +0.0% | 1,732 | $370,000 |
| 15 | Orlando | $223 | $230 | -3.0% | 1,794 | $410,000 |
| 16 | Chicago | $221 | $215 | +2.8% | 1,810 | $375,000 |
| 17 | Charlotte | $220 | $221 | -0.5% | 1,818 | $429,900 |
| 18 | Baltimore | $216 | $221 | -2.3% | 1,852 | $375,000 |
| 19 | Minneapolis | $208 | $212 | -1.9% | 1,923 | $399,639 |
| 20 | Dallas | $201 | $205 | -2.0% | 1,990 | $425,000 |
| 21 | Atlanta | $197 | $197 | +0.0% | 2,030 | $404,000 |
| 22 | Detroit | $186 | $185 | +0.5% | 2,151 | $265,000 |
| 23 | San Antonio | $172 | $180 | -4.4% | 2,326 | $334,000 |
| 24 | Houston | $171 | $175 | -2.3% | 2,339 | $350,000 |
| 25 | St. Louis | $164 | $166 | -1.2% | 2,439 | $259,900 |
Where housing space is most expensive
The five California and coastal metros at the top of the table are in a different market from the rest of the country. Los Angeles listings asked a median of $659 per square foot, followed by San Francisco ($630), San Diego ($600), New York ($521) and Boston ($474) [2]. At those prices, $400,000 buys roughly 607 to 844 square feet, the size of a small apartment. Seattle ($438) and Miami ($356) complete the group of metros above $350 per square foot.
Why coastal prices per square foot stay high
The common factor is land. Coastal metros are bounded by water and mountains, and most of their land is zoned for low-density housing, so each additional home is expensive to build. Much of the gap in listing prices reflects the value of the land under each home rather than the cost of the structure itself. Where local rules allow more homes per lot, as in parts of Texas, the land share of each home is smaller.
Where housing space is cheapest
The lowest prices per square foot among large metros are in St. Louis ($164), Houston ($171), San Antonio ($172), Detroit ($186) and Atlanta ($197) [2]. In St. Louis, $400,000 buys about 2,439 square feet, roughly four times what the same budget buys in Los Angeles. Only 14 of the 25 metros are above the national median of $226, because the national figure includes many smaller and rural markets where prices are lower.
The cheaper metros generally have abundant land and fewer limits on new subdivisions, as in Houston and San Antonio, or slower population growth, as in St. Louis and Detroit. Texas metros also carry higher property tax rates, so a low price per square foot does not always mean a low monthly cost of ownership.
Is price per square foot falling in 2026?
In most large metros, yes. Median listing prices per square foot were lower in July 2026 than a year earlier in 20 of the 25 metros [2]. The largest declines were in Tampa (-4.8%), San Francisco (-4.8%), San Antonio (-4.4%) and Denver (-3.1%). The increases were in New York (+4.6%), Chicago (+2.8%) and Detroit (+0.5%) [2]. Listing prices reflect what sellers ask, not what buyers pay, so these changes show seller expectations adjusting to more inventory. Zillow reported that 27.1% of listings had a price cut in July and that the typical U.S. home value was $371,757, up 1.1% from a year earlier [3].
The same $400,000 buys about four times as much living space in the cheapest large metros as in the most expensive ones.
For buyers and investors, price per square foot is a starting point, not a verdict. It does not capture lot size, age, condition, taxes or insurance, and new homes often list at a premium. With the 30-year mortgage rate at 6.66% in the week of August 27, 2026, the cost of each additional square foot is also a financing decision [4]. Median list prices, home values and inventory for every metro and ZIP code are available on DataPorium's housing market page [1].
Key takeaways
- Los Angeles had the highest median listing price per square foot among the 25 largest metros in July 2026 at $659; St. Louis had the lowest at $164 [2].
- The U.S. median was $226 per square foot, down 2.2% from July 2025 [2].
- Price per square foot fell over the year in 20 of 25 large metros, led by Tampa (-4.8%) and San Francisco (-4.8%) [2].
- $400,000 buys about 2,439 square feet in St. Louis and about 607 in Los Angeles [2].
Frequently asked questions
What is the average price per square foot for a house in 2026?
Realtor.com's U.S. median listing price was $226 per square foot in July 2026, down from $231 in July 2025 [2].
Which city has the highest price per square foot?
Among the 25 largest metros, Los Angeles was the most expensive in July 2026 at $659 per square foot, followed by San Francisco at $630 [2].
Where is the cheapest price per square foot in a big city?
St. Louis ($164), Houston ($171) and San Antonio ($172) had the lowest median listing prices per square foot among large metros in July 2026 [2].
How many square feet can you buy for $400,000?
At July 2026 median listing prices, $400,000 buys about 2,439 square feet in St. Louis, about 1,810 in Chicago and about 607 in Los Angeles [2].
Sources & References
- [1] DataPorium Housing Market Insights (Zillow median list price by metro, July 2026)
- [2] Realtor.com via FRED: Housing Inventory, Median Listing Price per Square Feet (U.S. and metro series)
- [3] Zillow, July 2026 Market Report (press release, August 6, 2026)
- [4] Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE30US)
