California · as of September 2026
What counts as luxury real estate in California
The convention this site uses
In California, this site treats homes at $3M and above as luxury. That is our own fixed band, set so the covered markets are the ones where the top of the market actually trades at that level. It is not a loan limit and it is not a median; the medians below are the middle of each market, and luxury inventory trades well above them. The rule and its reasoning are on the methodology page.
California's luxury markets by home value
Zillow Home Value Index, typical middle-tier home, latest month. 1 covered market has no index value and is listed without one.
| Market | Median value | Ranked agents |
|---|---|---|
| Atherton | $8,521,000 | 10 |
| Los Altos Hills | $5,858,000 | 11 |
| Montecito | $5,605,000 | 12 |
| Hillsborough | $5,471,000 | 10 |
| Hidden Hills | $5,134,000 | 10 |
| Belvedere | $4,970,000 | 10 |
| Rancho Santa Fe | $4,425,000 | 10 |
| Ross | $4,160,000 | 10 |
| Saratoga | $3,950,000 | 11 |
| Woodside | $3,939,000 | 10 |
| Del Mar | $3,837,000 | 10 |
| Newport Beach | $3,697,000 | 11 |
| Beverly Hills | $3,668,000 | 11 |
| Palo Alto | $3,564,000 | 11 |
| Manhattan Beach | $3,287,000 | 11 |
| Malibu | $3,156,000 | 10 |
| Rolling Hills | $3,093,000 | 10 |
| Tiburon | $3,050,000 | 10 |
| Laguna Beach | $2,991,000 | 11 |
| San Marino | $2,794,000 | 10 |
| Palos Verdes Estates | $2,712,000 | 10 |
| Los Gatos | $2,574,000 | 11 |
| Coronado | $2,559,000 | 10 |
| Piedmont | $2,514,000 | 10 |
| Alamo | $2,510,000 | 10 |
| La Canada Flintridge | $2,460,000 | 10 |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | $2,425,000 | 10 |
| Hermosa Beach | $2,257,000 | 11 |
| Solana Beach | $2,215,000 | 10 |
| Mill Valley | $2,129,000 | 11 |
| Coto de Caza | $1,979,000 | 10 |
| Orinda | $1,931,000 | 10 |
| Lafayette | $1,884,000 | 10 |
| Danville | $1,825,000 | 11 |
| Dana Point | $1,756,000 | 11 |
| San Clemente | $1,744,000 | 10 |
| Calabasas | $1,688,000 | 10 |
| Santa Monica | $1,667,000 | 10 |
| Sausalito | $1,535,000 | 11 |
| Indian Wells | $1,438,000 | 10 |
| Yorba Linda | $1,400,000 | 10 |
| Ladera Ranch | $1,366,000 | 10 |
| San Francisco | $1,350,000 | 10 |
| Marina del Rey | $1,329,000 | 10 |
| Healdsburg | $1,095,000 | 11 |
| Pasadena | $1,050,000 | 10 |
| Truckee | $1,032,000 | 10 |
| La Jolla | $950,000 | 11 |
| Brentwood | $835,000 | 10 |
| Santa Barbara | $820,000 | 13 |
| Napa | $785,000 | 10 |
| Encinitas | $505,000 | 11 |
| Palm Springs | $495,000 | 10 |
| Corona del Mar | — | 11 |
What changes at this price in California
Each fact links to the statute or agency that says so. Facts we could not verify against an official source are left out rather than guessed.
- Transfer and mansion taxes
- California has no state transfer tax. Counties levy a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), and charter cities add their own: Los Angeles charges 0.45 percent plus the Measure ULA tax of 4 percent on sales above about $5 million and 5.5 percent above about $10 million (thresholds adjust annually), and San Francisco's rate rises to 6 percent on sales of $25 million or more. Source
- Agency and dual agency
- California permits dual agency only with the informed written consent of both buyer and seller. The agent must deliver the statutory Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationship form and confirm the agency relationship in the purchase contract. Source
- Seller disclosure
- California sellers of one to four unit residential property must deliver the statutory Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement, and a Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement covering flood, fire, and seismic zones is also required. Source
- State estate or inheritance tax
- California levies no state estate tax and no inheritance tax, so only the federal estate tax applies to a large estate. The state estate tax has been zero since the federal credit was phased out in 2005. Source