Blog > Moving Up in Mountain View: From a Condo or Townhome to a House, by the Numbers (2026)
Moving Up in Mountain View: From a Condo or Townhome to a House, by the Numbers (2026)
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What does it take to move up from a Mountain View condo or townhome to a house? The median condo or townhome sold for $1.43M in the last 12 months, the least expensive quarter of houses for $2.4M or less, and the median house for $2.95M. With 20% down at 7.24%, the monthly cost goes from about $9,140 to $15,400 for an entry-level house and $18,930 for the median. Here’s the math, what the entry-level houses look like, and what condo owners have gained in price. We’re the Property Nerds, so the numbers come from real sales.
The short answer
- The price gap: $970K from the median condo or townhome to an entry-level house, $1.52M to the median house.
- The monthly gap (20% down, 7.24%, tax included): about $6,260 more for an entry-level house, $9,790 more for the median. A house often has no HOA dues, which offsets part of it.
- The entry-level house: a median 1,390 sq ft with 3 bedrooms on a 5,000 sq ft lot (57 sales at $2.4M or less).
- Your condo’s value: the median Mountain View condo or townhome sold for $1.22M in 2020 and $1.43M in the last 12 months.
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Buying or selling in Mountain View?
- What’s my home worth? Ask for the recent sales on your street.
- Selling a home in Mountain View: pricing, prep and what’s selling now.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about your plans.
The three steps, side by side
The last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026). The entry-level row prices the 25th percentile, the price a quarter of houses sold at or below; its size and lot are the medians of those houses. Monthly cost: 20% down, a 30-year fixed loan at 7.24% (Freddie Mac’s average, week of October 29, 2026), and property tax at Mountain View’s typical 1.1599% rate after the homeowners’ exemption.
| Home | Median price | Living area | Beds | Lot | 20% down | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median condo or townhome | $1.43M | 1,400 sq ft | 3 | — | $285,000 | $9,140 |
| Entry-level house (25th percentile) | $2.4M | 1,390 sq ft | 3 | 5,000 sq ft | $480,000 | $15,400 |
| Median house | $2.95M | 1,820 sq ft | 4 | 6,200 sq ft | $590,000 | $18,930 |
In Mountain View, the entry-level house is about the same size as the median condo or townhome (1,390 against 1,400 square feet). What that first step buys is the land: a median lot of 5,000 square feet.
What a condo owner has to work with
The median Mountain View condo or townhome sold for $1,025,000 in 2016 (308 sales), $1,220,000 in 2020 (223 sales) and $1,425,000 in the last 12 months. At those medians, a 2016 buyer’s condo is worth about $400K more than it cost, and a 2020 buyer’s about $205K more, before selling costs. Your equity is your sale price, less your loan balance and selling costs. Set it against 20% down on an entry-level house, $480,000, plus closing costs. Many move-up buyers add savings or company stock; see using RSUs and company stock for a down payment.
Sell first or buy first?
- Sell first: you know your cash and can write a clean offer, but you may need a rent-back or a short-term rental.
- Buy first: you move once, but you carry two homes for a while or need a bridge loan, and sellers may weigh a contingent offer lower.
- Property tax: the house is assessed at its purchase price, so plan for the supplemental bill (how it works).
- Capital gains: the home-sale exclusion ($250,000, or $500,000 for most married couples) can cover much or all of the gain on a condo you’ve lived in (details); ask your tax advisor.
Mountain View against four other Santa Clara County cities
The last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026). Gilroy had only 28 condo and townhome sales in the last 12 months, under the 30 a year we use for a city-wide condo figure, so it isn’t in this table.
| City | Median condo or townhome | Entry-level house | Median house | Gap to entry-level house |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | $776K | $1.3M | $1.65M | $524K |
| Mountain View | $1.43M | $2.4M | $2.95M | $970K |
| Campbell | $1.05M | $1.87M | $2.17M | $820K |
| Milpitas | $1.11M | $1.38M | $1.62M | $266K |
| Morgan Hill | $882K | $1.21M | $1.52M | $329K |
How competitive the entry-level houses are
In the last 12 months, houses at $2.4M or less in Mountain View typically closed 6.9% over asking, with 70% selling over asking, against 7% over asking and 75% for all Mountain View houses. The entry point has been about as contested as the market as a whole.
Questions we get
How much more is a house than a condo in Mountain View?
The median house sold for $2.95M and the median condo or townhome for $1.43M in the last 12 months, a gap of $1.52M. The least expensive quarter of houses sold for $2.4M or less.
What does an entry-level house look like in Mountain View?
Among houses that sold for $2.4M or less, the median had 1,390 square feet and 3 bedrooms on a 5,000 square-foot lot.
How much more a month is a house?
About $6,260 more for an entry-level Mountain View house than the median condo or townhome, with 20% down at 7.24%, tax included, before HOA dues and insurance.
How we counted
Medians of closed sales reported to the MLS and read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, one record per sale with a usable living area and map position, the same rules as our city price posts. Houses are MLS property type “single family home”; condos include townhomes. The window is the last 12 months (October 28, 2025 to October 27, 2026); condo prices by year use calendar 2016 and 2020. Payments use Freddie Mac’s 30-year average (7.24%, week of October 29, 2026); jumbo rates can differ. Tax uses Mountain View’s typical 2025–26 rate from the county’s rate book. Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home, and nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice.
Go deeper
what it costs to own in Mountain View, what your budget buys in Mountain View, Mortgage Lab and Mountain View condo and townhome prices.
More Mountain View numbers from the Property Nerds
Talk to a Property Nerd
We’re the Property Nerds at Compass, recognized as NextGenAgents by a national real estate portal. We’ll pull the sales that matter for your home and your plans, and walk you through what they mean. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.