San Carlos Homes Under $2M: What Actually Sells

102of 328 sales closed under $2M (31%)

38houses, about three a month

$1.80Mmedian house price under $2M

1,230median square feet, those houses

At a glance

Home type	Sold in 12 months	Under $2M	Median price, under $2M	Median size
Single-family house	260	38 (15%)	$1.80M	1,230 sq ft
Condo	51	51 (all)	$1.00M	1,094 sq ft
Townhouse	17	13	$1.78M	1,793 sq ft

For comparison, the median San Carlos house over the same 12 months sold for $2.74 million and had about 2,010 square feet.

Houses under $2 million

Thirty-eight houses in a year is about three a month, and they don’t arrive evenly. Most of them were close to the line:

4 sold under $1.5 million.
11 sold between $1.5 and $1.75 million.
23 sold between $1.75 and $2 million.

Another 24 houses sold between $2 million and $2.25 million. If your budget can stretch $250,000, your choices go from 38 houses a year to 62. That’s worth knowing before you decide whether to wait, stretch, or look at a townhouse.

What those houses were like

Smaller. A median of 1,230 square feet. Half had two bedrooms and almost all the rest had three.
Often one bath. 17 of the 38 had a single full bathroom.
Older. The median house was 78 years old, built around 1948. Expect original systems in many of them, and read the inspection reports closely: foundation, roof, electrical, and the sewer lateral.
Still on decent lots. A median lot of about 5,300 square feet, so adding space later is often possible. Check the city’s rules for the specific lot before you count on it.
Not slow. A median of about 16 days on market. Be pre-approved and have the disclosure package read before you tour.

Condos: every one sold under $2 million

All 51 San Carlos condo sales closed under $2 million, at a median of $1.0 million, so about half closed at or below $1 million. 46 of them were under $1.5 million. Most had two bedrooms (38 of 51), and the median size was 1,094 square feet.

Condos took longer to sell, a median of 25 days on market, which usually means more room to negotiate. The thing to study is the HOA: monthly dues, the reserve study, any special assessments, and the rules on rentals and pets. I read those documents with you before you write.

Townhouses: the middle ground, and rare

Only 17 townhouses sold in San Carlos all year, and 13 closed under $2 million, at a median of $1.78 million. For about the same money as a small house, the median townhouse had 1,793 square feet and three bedrooms, typically with a smaller yard and HOA dues. With roughly one a month, it helps to be ready when one comes up.

How to see the next one first

A listing alert from the MLS. I can set up an alert for San Carlos at your price and must-haves, so new listings reach you as they hit the MLS, often before you’d notice them on Zillow.
“Members only” listings. Some homes are shared with agents in the MLS before, or instead of, public marketing. I check those for you.
The real cost. At $1.8 million, property tax alone is roughly $20,000–$23,000 a year, plus a supplemental bill after you buy. My cost guide walks through everything beyond the price.
The towns next door. In October 2026, single-family medians were $2.4 million in San Mateo and $2.5 million in Redwood City. If San Carlos schools aren’t the deciding factor, compare San Carlos and Belmont too.

Questions buyers ask

Can you buy a house in San Carlos for under $2 million?

Yes, but not many. In the 12 months through October 2026, 38 of 260 San Carlos house sales closed under $2 million, about three a month, at a median of $1.80 million and 1,230 square feet.

What does $2 million buy in San Carlos?

Usually a two- or three-bedroom house of about 1,200 square feet, often with one bathroom and built in the 1940s or 1950s; or a three-bedroom townhouse of about 1,800 square feet; or a condo with room to spare, since the median San Carlos condo sold for $1.0 million.

Are there condos in San Carlos under $1 million?

About half of them. The median San Carlos condo sale over the past 12 months was $1.0 million, and 46 of the 51 condo sales closed under $1.5 million.

How fast do San Carlos homes under $2 million sell?

Houses under $2 million had a median of about 16 days on market, and condos about 25. For houses, being pre-approved and reading the disclosure package before you tour matters most.

Want the under-$2 million list sent to you?

Text me your budget and must-haves. I’ll set up the MLS alert and send you a short, honest read on each new San Carlos home that fits: what it’ll likely sell for, and what to check first.

Text Me Your Must-Haves → WeChat: elaineli7 San Carlos guide

Or call (650) 866-9266. I live in San Carlos.

Figures summarize 328 of the 330 residential sales recorded in the MLS for the city of San Carlos with close of escrow from Nov. 1, 2025, through Oct. 31, 2026 (two records could not be read and are excluded). Prices are sale prices; sizes are living area as reported by listing agents; days on market as recorded in the MLS. Based on information from MLSListings, Inc. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This is a market summary, not a valuation of any home.

San Carlos under $2 million: what actually sells.