What is the average home price in Salt Lake City?
The typical home in the City of Salt Lake City was valued at $568,970 in September 2026, up 2.36% from a year earlier, per the Zillow Home Value Index. Strictly speaking that is a modeled typical value and not an average. The closest thing to a true average is a census mean of about $707,600 for 2020 to 2024, calculated from American Community Survey tables by dividing aggregate owner-estimated value by owner-occupied homes. Most people asking for the average want to know what a normal home costs. For that, use the typical value or a median. A mean runs about $168,000 above the census median here, because a smaller number of high-value homes pulls it up. Other sources give figures from about $540,000 to about $650,000, and each of them is accurate for what it measures.
Why do different sources give different prices?
Because each one measures something different, and several cover a different area. Here is what each figure counts.
| Figure | Amount | Area | What it measures | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zillow Home Value Index | $568,970 | City | Modeled typical value, houses and condos | Sep 2026 |
| Census median, 1-year | $620,100 | City | Owner estimate, owner-occupied homes | 2024 |
| Census median, 5-year | $539,500 | City | Owner estimate, pooled across five years | 2020 to 2024 |
| Census mean, 5-year | About $707,600 | City | Calculated average of owner estimates | 2020 to 2024 |
| MLS median sold | $648,350 | County | Closed single-family sales | Q3 2026 |
| Realtor.com median list | $574,900 | County | Asking prices of homes for sale | Sep 2026 |
Sources: as linked in each row, retrieved October 2026.
Three differences explain most of the spread:
- Area. The $648,350 figure from UtahRealEstate.com covers all of Salt Lake County. There is no city figure in that dataset, so do not read it as a city price.
- Property type. That same figure is single-family only, while Zillow's blends in condos. Remove the condos and Zillow's city figure rises to $607,490.
- Timing. The five-year census median pools 2020 through 2024, including lower-priced years, which is why it sits so far below the one-year figure of $620,100.
How much does a house cost compared with a condo?
The gap is about $204,645. Zillow's September 2026 index puts the typical single-family home in the city at $607,490, up 3.04% over the year, and the typical condo or co-op at $402,845, down 0.46%.
That split matters more than any single citywide figure. A buyer choosing a condo, townhome or detached home is shopping in a separate market with its own direction this year.
What is the average price per square foot?
For sold single-family homes in Salt Lake County, the median was $251.42 per square foot in the third quarter of 2026, down slightly from $252.38 a year earlier, in the Q3 market report. That number uses total square footage.
Asking prices run a little higher. Realtor.com's median list price per square foot in September 2026 was $271 for the county, against $253 across Utah and $223 nationally. Those are list prices and include all property types, so compare them with each other and not with the sold figure.
Price per square foot varies widely by neighborhood and home. For a specific home, genuinely comparable sales tell you far more.
Is Salt Lake City expensive?
Compared with the country, yes. Comparing like with like on Zillow's index for September 2026:
| Area | Typical home value | Change over one year |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | $568,970 | +2.36% |
| Salt Lake County | $567,330 | +1.20% |
| Salt Lake City metro | $558,850 | +1.06% |
| Utah | $532,920 | +1.23% |
| United States | $366,157 | +1.19% |
Sources: Zillow Research ZHVI files, all homes, through September 30, 2026, retrieved October 2026.
The city sits about 55% above the US figure and about 7% above Utah. It is nearly level with the county, so moving to a suburb does not by itself change the price picture. The city-by-city census comparison shows where home values run higher or lower.
Are Salt Lake City home prices rising?
Gently. Zillow's city index rose 2.36% in the year to September 2026. In the county, the median sold price for single-family homes rose about 2.1% from Q3 2025 to Q3 2026, while closed sales fell 10.7% to 2,105, per UtahRealEstate.com data. The federal FHFA House Price Index, which tracks repeat sales of the same homes, shows metro purchase prices up just 0.17% in the year to Q2 2026.
Treat any single month with care. A monthly median moves with whichever homes happened to close, so one strong month can look like a surge. Index and repeat-sale figures are steadier guides to direction.
Which number should you use?
Match the number to the question you are actually trying to answer:
- Setting a budget for the city: use Zillow's figure for your property type, $607,490 for a house or $402,845 for a condo.
- Judging the market across the valley: use the $648,350 county median and the full Q3 report.
- Pricing a specific home: use neither. Use recent comparable sales on that street.
To turn a price into a monthly payment, see how much income a $500,000 home takes in Utah. If you are pricing a particular home or neighborhood, I am happy to run the comparable sales with you. Reach me here or at 801-628-1281.