Sep 2026
$1.1M
-7.0% year-over-year
How it’s calculated
Rolling 3-month median sale price vs. same 3 months one year prior.
Santa Cruz, CA housing market
Santa Cruz, CA metro median sale price $1.1M in Sep 2026, down 7.0% year over year. Also days on market, price cuts, affordability and ZIP-code figures.
The median sale price in the Santa Cruz, CA metro is $1.1M as of Sep 2026, down 7.0% from a year earlier. That is the 4th-steepest year-over-year decline of the 383 U.S. metros Pecan Street ranks on this measure. FHFA's repeat-sales index for the metro points the other way: up 1.7% through Q2 2026.
On median sale price, Santa Cruz ($1.1M) ranks 3rd of the 25 California metros Pecan Street tracks, between San Francisco ($1.2M) and Santa Maria ($1.0M). On median days on market, Santa Cruz (53 days) ranks 18th of the 25 California metros, between Merced (53 days) and Stockton (53 days). On share of listings with a price cut, Santa Cruz (39%) ranks 4th of the 25 California metros, between Sacramento (41%) and Vallejo (39%).
Listings spent a median 53 days on market in Sep 2026, fewer than in most of the 385 metros. 39% of active listings carry a price cut, 5.4 points more than a year earlier. That share is higher than in most of the 385 metros. Median asking prices sit about 10% above the median sale price.
At the 7.29% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, principal and interest on a median-priced home come to $6,241 a month; at 28% of gross income, that takes about $267K a year. The median sale price equals about 17 years of HUD Fair Market Rent, a ratio down 9.6% from a year earlier. That ratio is higher than in most of the 373 metros. Active listings ask a median $729 per square foot, down 2.0% from a year earlier.
In four of the seven ZIP codes in the table below, median list prices are lower than a year earlier; three are higher.
Headline
Oct 15, 2026
7.29%
30-year fixed
Where it comes from
National benchmark: Optimal Blue OBMMI 30-year conforming, via FRED. An average of rates borrowers have actually locked, updated daily.
The same rate appears on every market page.
Principal & interest
$6,241/mo
$267K/yr income needed
How it’s calculated
Payment — this market’s median sale price with 20% down, on a 30-year fixed loan at the rate shown. Principal and interest only — no property tax, insurance, PMI or HOA.
Income needed — that payment at 28% of gross income. A rule of thumb, not a lending decision.
How Santa Cruz compares to other U.S. metros
| Home-price growth | ↓380th of 383 |
|---|---|
| Asking-vs-sale gap | ↑73rd of 292 (top 25%) |
| Price-to-rent | ↑99th of 373 (top 27%) |
| Days on market | ↓247th of 385 |
| Price cuts | ↑143rd of 385 (top 38%) |
Rank across the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, on market data alone — a higher rank means more of that measure (more price cuts, faster price growth, a wider asking-vs-sale gap, a higher price-to-rent ratio, or more days on market). The bar shows where this metro sits within that metric’s own cohort (left is more, right is less); ↑ and ↓ mark the positions furthest from the middle, and rows are ordered the same way. Metrics without data for this metro are omitted.
Affordability
| Price-to-rent ratio | ≈ 17 -9.6% YoY ↑99th of 373 (top 27%) |
|---|---|
| Asking price / sq ft | $729 -2.0% YoY |
Price-to-rent divides the median sale price by the annual HUD Fair Market Rent (a 3-bedroom, 40th-percentile benchmark), so it is a directional rent-vs-buy read, not a cap rate; its year-over-year change is directional in the same way. Asking price per square foot is the median across active for-sale listings (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market pressure
| Listings with a price cut | ≈ 39% +5.4 pts YoY ↑143rd of 385 (top 38%) |
|---|
The median asking price $1.2M runs about 10% above the median sale price $1.1M.
Price-cut share is the portion of active for-sale listings that have taken a price reduction (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. Asking is the median list price of active listings (Realtor.com, this month); sale is the headline median of recent closings (Redfin, a rolling 3-month median) — distinct sources and windows, so the gap is a directional read, not a like-for-like difference. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market facts
| ZIPs with listing data | 7 shown of 15 |
|---|---|
| MLS board of record | — |
| Price methodology | Redfin vs FHFA HPI |
| Data as of | Sep 2026 |
Recent signals
No signals flagged for this market right now.
Price reconciliation
red · 8.7ppRedfin (metro) -7.0% | FHFA HPI · Q2 2026 +1.7% |
Year-over-year home-price change from two independent methods — Redfin (monthly sold price) and FHFA (quarterly repeat-sales index). When they diverge, the market is mid-shift; cite the figure with that in mind.
More markets in CA
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Try it freeZIP-level data
| ZIP | Median list price | Active listings | New listings | Price reductions | Days on market | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95003 | $1.4M↓ | 90↓ | 24↓ | 30↓ | 63↑ | $1.3M↑ |
| 95006 | $799K↓ | 36↓ | 12↓ | 18↓ | 71↓ | $724K↑ |
| 95010 | $1.4M↑ | 35↑ | 4 | 18↑ | 56↓ | $1.2M↑ |
| 95060 | $1.4M↑ | 70↓ | 36↓ | 30↓ | 49↑ | $1.4M↑ |
| 95062 | $1.7M↓ | 40↓ | 22↑ | 12↓ | 29↓ | $1.3M↑ |
| 95066 | $1.4M↑ | 33↓ | 8↓ | 14 | 62↓ | $1.2M↑ |
| 95076 | $919K↓ | 89↓ | 30↓ | 38↑ | 60↓ | $824K↑ |
ZIP figures from Realtor.com listing data; home value from Zillow ZHVI. ZIP codes shown have the most complete listing-data history and active for-sale inventory in this metro; the latest available month is shown per ZIP. Arrows show the direction of each figure against the same three months a year earlier; no arrow means the change rounds to zero or the comparison isn't available.