Price Per Square Foot Calculator
Enter price and size for two properties (or one). Price per square foot makes different homes, rentals, and materials directly comparable.
| Property A | — |
| Property B | — |
| Verdict | — |
Why price per square foot matters
$ / sq ft = Price ÷ Living area
The default example: the $385,000 house looks cheaper than the $429,000 one — but at $220 vs $204 per square foot, the bigger house is the better space value. Agents, appraisers, and assessors all speak in this unit because it normalizes size out of the comparison.
What the number hides — read before deciding
- Only comparable within a market: $200/sq ft is expensive in rural Ohio and impossible in San Jose. Compare within the same neighborhood and property type.
- Small homes always cost more per foot: kitchens and bathrooms (the expensive rooms) are a bigger share of small floor plans. A condo beating a mansion per-foot proves nothing.
- What counts as area varies: finished basements, garages, and balconies are inconsistently included. Confirm the square-footage source before trusting the division.
- Condition and land are invisible: a renovated house on a double lot deserves a premium the metric cannot see.
Same math powers renovation quotes (flooring, painting, roofing are all bid per square foot) — bring this calculator to contractor comparisons too.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate price per square foot?
Divide price by living area: $385,000 ÷ 1,750 sq ft = $220/sq ft. For rentals, divide monthly rent by area the same way.
What is a good price per square foot?
Purely local — the US ranges from under $120 to over $800 by metro. The useful move is comparing candidates within the same area, not against national numbers.
Why do smaller homes cost more per square foot?
Every home carries roughly one kitchen and bathrooms — the costliest square feet. In small homes those dominate the area; in large homes cheap bedroom space dilutes them.
Does the lot count in price per square foot?
No — the standard metric uses interior living area only, which is exactly why two same-size houses on very different lots can rightly differ in price.
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Last updated: 2026-07-08