Costs
Part of US homes by city: a street-side tour of six cities
Getting US homes by city prices right the first time
City price figures come from different offices with different definitions, so match the housing data source to the number before you quote it.
What to take away
- Getting US homes by city prices right the first time means naming the source, the geography and the sale type before you quote a number.
- Four publishers produce city price figuresthe National Association of Realtors, Zillow, Redfin and the U.S. Census Bureau. Each defines the metro area and the sale differently.
- Realtor.com and ATTOM Data Solutions publish at ZIP and neighborhood level, which is where a single house actually sits.
- A county recorder's transfer records are the only price source that ties to one address and one deed.
- Check the geography before the numbermetro, city, ZIP and neighborhood boundaries do not nest cleanly.
- The Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks owners what they think their home is worth. That is an opinion, not a sale.
- Typical published metro medians as of 2025 run near $1.7M to $2.0M in San Jose, $330K to $380K in Chicago and $200K to $250K in Detroit. Check the current release before using any figure.
A city median is not a fact about houses. It is a fact about one office's definition of a house, applied to the sales that office happened to record. Two sources can publish different medians for the same city in the same month and both be correct. Knowing which source you are holding is most of the work.
The named sources, and what each one is
The named sources
| Source | Geography | What the price is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Association of Realtors | Metro area | Median of closed sales reported by member boards | Comparing metros over time |
| Zillow | Metro, city, ZIP, neighborhood | Median sale price plus a modeled home-value estimate | Neighborhood-level orientation |
| Redfin | Metro, city, ZIP, neighborhood | Median of recorded sales, refreshed weekly | Recent movement in one ZIP |
| Realtor.com | Metro, city, ZIP | Median list price, not sale price | Seeing what sellers are asking |
| ATTOM Data Solutions | Parcel and ZIP | Aggregated recorded sale amounts | Address-level background |
| U.S. Census Bureau | Metro and county | Survey responses and recorded sales | Long-run comparisons |
Zillow and Redfin publish their methods and update them. Read the current methodology page rather than trusting a remembered definition. NAR figures come from member-reported sales, so coverage depends on board participation.
Housing Data Sources Compared
NAR
- Geography
- Metro
- Price type
- Median closed sales
- Update
- Member boards
- Best for
- Metro trends
Zillow
- Geography
- Metro, city, ZIP
- Price type
- Median sale + model
- Update
- Methodology page
- Best for
- Neighborhoods
Redfin
- Geography
- Metro, city, ZIP
- Price type
- Median recorded sales
- Update
- Weekly
- Best for
- Recent ZIP moves
Realtor.com
- Geography
- Metro, city, ZIP
- Price type
- Median list price
- Update
- Asking prices
- Best for
- Seller asking
Realtor.com reports asking prices. A list price is a seller's opening position, not a transaction. It runs above or below the eventual sale depending on the market.
Where the city figure comes from
The county recorder holds the deed, and the deed carries the transfer amount in most states. That is the primary record. Everything else is a compilation of it.
From Deed to City Figure
- County recorder holds the deed
- Deed carries transfer amount
- Compilers aggregate recorded sales
- City figure published
Some states do not publish the consideration on the deed. A few levy a transfer tax on a stated value instead. Where that applies, the recorded figure is the taxed value, which is not always the negotiated price.
For the parcel-level version of this work, how property records work walks through the offices involved. The city-level layer sits on top of it.
Why two cities resist comparison
Metro boundaries are drawn by the federal Office of Management and Budget and change between vintages. A figure labeled "metro" in 2019 may cover a different set of counties than the same label in 2025.
City boundaries are political, and large cities often contain wildly different housing stock. A single median for a city of four million people describes almost no house in it.
The Census Bureau publishes its geography definitions and boundary files, and the NYC Department of City Planning open data page shows how one large city publishes its own parcel and planning layers.
A sequence that gets the number right
- Decide the geography first. A neighborhood question needs a ZIP or tract figure, not a metro median.
- Pick the source whose definition matches your question. Sale prices come from Redfin, NAR or recorded deeds. Asking prices come from Realtor.com.
- Check the vintage. Note the month, the release date, and whether the figure is preliminary or revised.
- Go to the recorder for any single address. Aggregated data will not settle a question about one house.
- State the source and the geography alongside the number, every time.
Historic-district status changes what a house is worth to a buyer, and the National Register database is where the federal designation is confirmed.
City price ranges and what varies
Published metro medians as of 2025 often fall in these ranges. They are not forecasts. Match the source to the question before using one.
Typical 2025 Metro Medians
- San Jose$1.7M–$2.0M
- San Francisco$1.2M–$1.5M
- Los Angeles$900K–$1.1M
- Seattle$750K–$900K
- Boston$700K–$850K
- Miami$550K–$650K
- Austin$500K–$600K
- Chicago$330K–$380K
City price ranges
| City or metro | Typical published median, 2025 | Source check and driver |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $1.7M to $2.0M | NAR and Zillow metro medians; tech pay and limited buildable land |
| San Francisco, CA | $1.2M to $1.5M | Redfin city figures separate condos from single-family homes; condo share changes the median |
| Los Angeles, CA | $900K to $1.1M | City boundary includes the San Fernando Valley; ZIP-level figures vary widely |
| Seattle, WA | $750K to $900K | Redfin refreshes weekly; Realtor.com list prices are asking prices, not sales |
| Boston, MA | $700K to $850K | NAR metro covers Cambridge and Newton; city median excludes some suburbs |
| Miami, FL | $550K to $650K | Condo fees and insurance premiums change the monthly cost more than the median |
| Austin, TX | $500K to $600K | Inventory rose after the 2022 peak and the median cooled from higher levels |
| Chicago, IL | $330K to $380K | Property taxes and a large condo stock keep the city median below the metro |
| Houston, TX | $330K to $380K | The metro spans multiple counties; city figures move with energy jobs |
| Detroit, MI | $200K to $250K | Lower-priced stock is common; condition and tax foreclosure history matter |
Square footage is measured differently by different publishers. Some use county assessor records, some use listing data, some use floor plans. Price per square foot inherits that disagreement.
Sale type matters. Foreclosures, estate sales and transfers between family members are sometimes included and sometimes excluded. Each choice moves the median.
Timing matters. A median dated to the closing month reflects contracts signed one to three months earlier. A fast-moving market makes that lag visible.
Lot geometry and housing stock differ between cities in ways no single number captures. The reasons are set out in homes by city.
For a dense-city example of how the record calendar works, see reading the record calendar. For how these layers appear on a map, see reading public map layers.
Common questions
Why do two sites show different median prices for the same city?
Because they define the metro area, the sale type and the reporting period differently. Neither is wrong. Match the definition to your question before quoting either.
Can I get a price for one specific house from these sources?
No. Aggregated medians describe a group. For one address, the county recorder's deed is the record. A title company or licensed attorney can confirm what it says.
Is an owner's estimate of value a usable price?
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey collects owner estimates. They are opinions rather than transactions. Use them for long-run trends, not for a purchase decision.
Which figure should I put in front of a client?
Use the one whose geography and definition match the question, with the source and date stated. If the number matters to a transaction, confirm it against the recorded deed and take advice from a licensed professional in that state.
