How do you calculate price per square foot?

Divide the total price by the area in square feet. A $425,000 house with 1,850 square feet of living area costs $425,000 ÷ 1,850 = $229.73 per square foot. For rent, use the monthly rent; for flooring or roofing, use the material quote and the area it covers.

What square footage should I use for a house?

Listings and appraisers use finished, heated living area measured to ANSI Z765 — not the lot, garage, unfinished basement or covered porch. Two listings can differ because one counts a finished basement and the other does not; compare like with like and check the county assessor’s figure if in doubt.

Is a lower price per square foot always the better deal?

No. Small homes and condos have a higher $/sq ft because kitchens and bathrooms cost the same regardless of size, and lot value, condition, age and location are not captured at all. Use $/sq ft to compare similar homes in the same neighborhood, then adjust for what the number ignores.

What is a typical price per square foot in the US?

It varies enormously: the national median for existing homes has been around $200–230 per square foot in recent years, but it runs under $150 in many Midwestern and Southern markets and over $500 in coastal California, New York City and Hawaii. New construction typically costs $150–300 per square foot to build before land.

How do I convert price per square foot to price per square meter?

One square meter is 10.764 square feet, so multiply the $/sq ft figure by 10.764. $230 per square foot is about $2,476 per square meter. The calculator shows both, plus price per square yard (× 9) for flooring and carpet quotes.

Price Per Square Foot Calculator

Name: Price Per Square Foot Calculator
Author: Miikka

Enter a price and a square footage to get the cost per square foot — for a house, an apartment lease, an office, or flooring, roofing and countertop quotes. Add up to four properties to compare them side by side, or switch modes to turn a $/sq ft rate into a total price.

By Miikka · CalcBrew · Updated Sep 16, 2026

Label

Price ($)

Area (sq ft)

Price / sq ft$229.73

Home A: price per square foot

$229.73

Per square meter

$2,473

Per square yard

$2,068

The price per square foot formula

price per sq ft = total price ÷ area in square feet

Worked example: a listing at $425,000 with 1,850 sq ft of living area works out to $425,000 ÷ 1,850 = $229.73 per square foot. A neighboring house at $389,000 with 1,560 sq ft is $249.36 per square foot — the cheaper house is the more expensive one per foot, which is exactly the kind of thing the metric is for.

For rentals use the monthly rent (a $2,400 apartment of 900 sq ft is $2.67 per sq ft per month; commercial leases quote the annual rate, so multiply by 12). For materials divide the quote by the area it covers: $3,600 of laminate for 600 sq ft is $6.00 per square foot installed.

Typical ranges (US, 2026)

What	Typical $/sq ft	Notes
Existing homes, national median	$200–230	Under $150 in much of the Midwest and South, $500+ in coastal metros
New construction (build cost, no land)	$150–300	Custom and high-cost regions $350+
Apartment rent, per month	$1.50–4.00	Manhattan and San Francisco $5–8
Office lease, per year	$20–60	Quoted annually; check NNN vs. gross
Laminate / LVP flooring installed	$4–10	Hardwood $8–20, tile $10–25
Asphalt shingle roof installed	$4–7	Often quoted per “square” = 100 sq ft
Quartz / granite countertops installed	$50–120	Measured on the counter surface, not the room

Ranges are indicative national figures; local quotes vary. Use the calculator with your own numbers.

What price per square foot does not tell you

The metric strips out everything but size. It ignores lot value (a small house on a big lot looks “expensive”), condition and age, the number of bathrooms and kitchens (fixed-cost rooms make small homes pricier per foot), unfinished space that some listings count and others do not, and location within a neighborhood. Treat it as a first filter for comparing similar homes, then look at the actual comparable sales.

Frequently asked questions

Cite this calculator

APACalcBrew. (2026). Price Per Square Foot Calculator. https://calcbrew.com/price-per-square-foot-calculator

MLA“Price Per Square Foot Calculator.” CalcBrew, 2026, calcbrew.com/price-per-square-foot-calculator.

Link to https://calcbrew.com/price-per-square-foot-calculator. Results are estimates; cite the underlying formula or data source for academic work.

More in Home & Construction · All calculators

Price Per Square Foot Calculator

The price per square foot formula

Typical ranges (US, 2026)

What price per square foot does not tell you

Frequently asked questions

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