Blog > Palo Alto Luxury Homes: Where $5 Million+ Houses Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Palo Alto Luxury Homes: Where $5 Million+ Houses Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
by
Where do top-of-market single-family houses sell in Palo Alto? In the two years to October 27, 2026, 208 of the 744 single-family houses that sold in Palo Alto (28%) closed at $5 million or more, by the MLS records we can read with repeat records removed. In 2012, 6 did all year; in 2025, 105 did. Here is where those sales happened, inside each of our neighborhood guides.
The short answer
- Across the city: 48% of house sales closed at $4M or more, 28% at $5M or more and 9% at $7.5M or more. The highest sale was $21.25M in Old Palo Alto.
- Where they cluster (share of house sales at $5M+, guides with at least 8 house sales): Old Palo Alto (69%), Crescent Park (58%), Community Center (53%), Professorville (50%), Palo Alto Hills (40%) and Leland Manor / Garland (35%).
- None at $5M+ in the window: Southgate, Greenmeadow, Fairmeadow, Charleston Meadows and Ventura.
- What it buys: the typical house that sold for $5M or more went for $6.59M, with 3,223 sq ft ($2,108 per sq ft), against 2,005 sq ft and $2,060 per sq ft for all Palo Alto houses.
- Over time: 6 house sales at $5M or more in 2012, 85 in 2021 and 105 in 2025, with 82 more from January through September 2026.
Next steps in Palo Alto
- What’s my Palo Alto home worth? Request an estimate, and ask us for the recent sales on your street.
- See Palo Alto homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- Book a strategy call with a Property Nerd.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Guides with at least 8 house sales, highest share at $5M or more first. Each cell shows how many houses sold at that price or more and their share of the guide’s house sales. Each name opens its guide, with live listings and the last 12 months of sales.
| Neighborhood | House sales | Median price | $4M+ | $5M+ | $7.5M+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Palo Alto | 77 | $6.85M | 60 (78%) | 53 (69%) | 33 (43%) |
| Crescent Park | 69 | $5.58M | 51 (74%) | 40 (58%) | 14 (20%) |
| Community Center | 34 | $5.16M | 25 (74%) | 18 (53%) | 4 (12%) |
| Professorville | 12 | $5.1M | 10 (83%) | 6 (50%) | 1 (8%) |
| Palo Alto Hills | 10 | $4.64M | 9 (90%) | 4 (40%) | 1 (10%) |
| Leland Manor / Garland | 26 | $4.51M | 17 (65%) | 9 (35%) | 2 (8%) |
| Duveneck / St. Francis | 54 | $4.29M | 30 (56%) | 14 (26%) | 2 (4%) |
| Barron Park | 62 | $3.95M | 31 (50%) | 15 (24%) | 2 (3%) |
| University South | 26 | $3.83M | 12 (46%) | 6 (23%) | 2 (8%) |
| Green Acres | 15 | $4.38M | 10 (67%) | 3 (20%) | 1 (7%) |
| Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park | 19 | $3.3M | 5 (26%) | 3 (16%) | 0 (0%) |
| Midtown | 108 | $3.6M | 40 (37%) | 17 (16%) | 0 (0%) |
| South of Midtown | 33 | $3.42M | 10 (30%) | 5 (15%) | 0 (0%) |
| Downtown North | 19 | $3.02M | 3 (16%) | 2 (11%) | 1 (5%) |
| Palo Verde | 30 | $3.75M | 9 (30%) | 2 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| College Terrace | 22 | $2.99M | 4 (18%) | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Southgate | 11 | $4.43M | 6 (55%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Greenmeadow | 20 | $3.74M | 4 (20%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Fairmeadow | 15 | $3.32M | 2 (13%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Charleston Meadows | 22 | $2.9M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Ventura | 23 | $2.85M | 2 (9%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
Fewer than 8 house sales, so not ranked: Charleston Gardens (7 sales, 1 at $5M+), Esther Clark Park (6 sales, 5 at $5M+), Evergreen Park (7 sales, 1 at $5M+), Monroe Park (3 sales, 1 at $5M+) and Triple El (1 sale, none at $5M+).
Year by year since 2012
House sales at $5M or more each year, in Palo Alto. The line is fixed in dollars while prices rose, so part of the climb is simply more houses crossing it: the median house sold for $1.75M in 2012 and $3.84M in 2025.
| Year | House sales | $5M+ | Share | Median house price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 464 | 6 | 1% | $1.75M |
| 2013 | 396 | 14 | 4% | $2.15M |
| 2014 | 354 | 24 | 7% | $2.43M |
| 2015 | 320 | 30 | 9% | $2.68M |
| 2016 | 362 | 27 | 7% | $2.55M |
| 2017 | 340 | 45 | 13% | $2.98M |
| 2018 | 334 | 46 | 14% | $3.2M |
| 2019 | 319 | 31 | 10% | $3.08M |
| 2020 | 338 | 31 | 9% | $3M |
| 2021 | 517 | 85 | 16% | $3.56M |
| 2022 | 325 | 58 | 18% | $3.58M |
| 2023 | 300 | 43 | 14% | $3.3M |
| 2024 | 360 | 79 | 22% | $3.66M |
| 2025 | 381 | 105 | 28% | $3.84M |
| 2026 (Jan.–Sept.) | 266 | 82 | 31% | $4.05M |
Reading it right
- These are sale prices, not list prices, and they aren’t adjusted for inflation.
- Size drives much of the top end, so compare price per square foot as well as price when you look at houses at $5M or more.
- Small samples swing. Every cell shows its count, and one or two sales can move a small guide’s share.
- Some guides overlap, and a sale inside two outlines counts in both.
- Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
How we counted
Closed sales of single-family houses reported to the MLS, read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with one record per MLS number and only sales with a recorded living area and a map position, placed inside each guide’s outline. A sale counts at a price if it closed at that amount or more. The yearly table uses the same rules, by closing date, through September 30, 2026.
Go deeper
The Luxury Market Report follows the top of the market across Silicon Valley, and the Price Ladder shows where Palo Alto’s top end sits against other cities. For Palo Alto, see houses under $3 million, guide by guide, house prices by bedrooms and neighborhoods ranked by price per square foot; the Palo Alto city guide links every guide. Our sales map shows the homes we’ve sold there. Across every city we cover: where $5M+ houses sold, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Common questions
What is the most expensive neighborhood in Palo Alto?
By median house price over the two years to October 27, 2026, among our guides with at least 8 house sales: Old Palo Alto ($6.85M), Crescent Park ($5.58M) and Community Center ($5.16M).
How many Palo Alto houses sell for $5 million or more?
208 of 744 house sales (28%) in those two years, and 105 in 2025 alone, up from 6 in 2012.
What was the highest house sale in Palo Alto?
$21.25M in Old Palo Alto, in the two years to October 27, 2026, by the MLS records we can read.
The Palo Alto data series: housing market by the numbers · neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · ten years of prices by neighborhood · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses under $3M · the best month to sell · the most expensive streets · houses by neighborhood · flood zones by neighborhood · our sales map
Selling at the top of the Palo Alto market?
A Property Nerd will pull the closest sales at your level in your neighborhood, show how they were priced, prepared and marketed, and build a plan for yours. 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.
Or start with selling a home in Palo Alto: how we’d price, prepare and launch your sale, and the homes we’ve listed and sold in Palo Alto.