La Paz vs Los Cabos Real Estate: Is La Paz Really 30% Cheaper?

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Karla and Erick Cabo Realty

Last update:  2026-11-09

La Paz Baja California Sur
La Paz vs Los Cabos real estate prices compared with real MLS sales

La Paz vs Los Cabos Real Estate: Is La Paz Really 30% Cheaper?

Karla & Erick | Cabo Realty | Century 21 Paradise Properties

Is La Paz really 30% cheaper than Los Cabos? For houses, yes. For condos, almost not at all. We compared every home that closed in the MLS from January to October 2026: 197 sales in La Paz and 694 in Los Cabos. Houses in La Paz sold for $198 per sq ft vs $297 in Los Cabos, about 33% less. Condos sold for $346 vs $358 per sq ft, only 3% less. Here is what the numbers really say, budget by budget and neighborhood by neighborhood, for buyers from California, Texas and Arizona.

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📊 La Paz vs Los Cabos at a Glance

33%
less per sq ft for houses in La Paz
3%
less per sq ft for condos in La Paz
24%
lower median sold price in La Paz
9 vs 173
sales of $1M and up (La Paz vs Los Cabos)
2x
average sale price since 2019, in both
1 vs ~28
U.S. cities with nonstop flights

🏠 The Real Numbers, Side by Side

January–October 2026 La Paz Los Cabos
Homes and condos sold 197 694
Median sold price $335,000 $440,000
Houses: median price $309,000 $735,000
Houses: price per sq ft $198 $297
Condos: median price $353,000 $385,000
Condos: price per sq ft $346 $358
Sales of $1M and up 9 173

So where does the “30% cheaper” idea come from? If you mix everything together, La Paz sold for $235 per sq ft vs $348 in Los Cabos, about a third less. But most of that gap comes from houses. A condo in a good La Paz building costs almost the same per square foot as a condo in Los Cabos.

💡 Good to know: in the MLS, the La Paz area also includes El Sargento and La Ventana, the kiteboarding towns about an hour from the city. They account for 19 of the 197 La Paz sales.

💵 What Your Budget Buys in Each Place

These are real sales within about 15% of each budget, January to October 2026:

Budget La Paz Los Cabos
Around $300K 42 sales, about 1,120 sq ft; half condos, half houses 100 sales, about 1,115 sq ft; mostly condos, many in El Tezal and Cabo San Lucas
Around $600K 19 sales, about 2,090 sq ft; mostly houses, half with ocean views 68 sales, about 1,565 sq ft; mostly condos, most with ocean views
Around $1M Only 3 sales, in Costa Baja and the La Paz beach area 45 sales, about 1,800 sq ft; Club Campestre had the most

At $300K you get the same size in both places. The difference shows up around $600K, where La Paz buys you a bigger house. Above $1M there is almost no market in La Paz. See what that budget buys in Los Cabos in What Does $1 Million Buy in Los Cabos?

⛳ Golf Communities: La Paz vs Los Cabos

La Paz has two golf communities with resale activity in the MLS. Here is how they compare with the golf neighborhoods of Los Cabos, by price per square foot:

Community Where Price per sq ft (2026)
Paraíso del Mar La Paz (El Mogote) $271 (10 sales, median $677K)
Costa Baja La Paz $463 (6 sales, median $900K)
Quivira Los Cabos $531
Club Campestre Los Cabos $533
Cabo del Sol Los Cabos $701
Querencia Los Cabos $1,115
Palmilla Los Cabos $1,212

Paraíso del Mar is where La Paz is truly cheaper: about half the price per square foot of Club Campestre or Quivira. Costa Baja is closer to Los Cabos prices. For the courses themselves, see Golf Courses in La Paz. For Los Cabos, see Club Campestre Homes for Sale and Quivira Homes and Condos for Sale.

📍 La Paz Neighborhoods: What Buyers Paid

Neighborhood Sales Median Price Price per sq ft
Costa Baja 6 $900,000 $463
Paraíso del Mar 10 $677,000 $271
La Ventana 6 $472,000 $349
Esterito 12 $404,000 $287
El Sargento 12 $392,000 $273
Arúa (condos, Centro) 16 $337,000 $347

Want to know where to live in La Paz? Read Best Neighborhoods to Live in La Paz and Cost of Living in La Paz.

🤝 Negotiation and Time on the Market

January–October 2026 La Paz Los Cabos
Condos: sold vs original list price 98% 94%
Houses: sold vs original list price 94% 91%
Average days on market About 210–230 About 255–290
Months of inventory (October) About 15 About 22–24

Prices are lower in La Paz, but there is less room to negotiate: condos closed at almost full asking price. Los Cabos has more homes for sale per buyer, which gives you more leverage. See How Much to Offer in Los Cabos.

📈 La Paz vs Los Cabos, Year by Year (2019–2026)

Number of homes and condos sold in the MLS each year, and the average sale price:

Year La Paz sales La Paz average price Los Cabos sales Los Cabos average price
2019 136 $194,000 560 $606,000
2020 113 $177,000 479 $593,000
2021 255 $249,000 1,359 $863,000
2022 214 $296,000 1,567 $676,000
2023 197 $339,000 1,287 $778,000
2024 178 $392,000 888 $1,043,000
2025 205 $357,000 903 $1,076,000
2026* 197 $399,000 656 $1,226,000

*2026 is January to October. Los Cabos here is Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo and the Corridor.

  • La Paz grew steadily. Prices rose almost every year, with no boom and no big drop, and the market has sold about 200 homes a year since 2021.
  • Los Cabos had a boom in 2021–2022, with almost three times as many sales as in 2019, then cooled down. Even so, the average price kept climbing, to $1.23 million in 2026.
  • In the end, both doubled. The average sale price went from about $194,000 to $399,000 in La Paz (up about 105%) and from about $606,000 to $1.23 million in Los Cabos (up about 102%).
  • 2026 is a strong year for La Paz: 197 sales in 10 months, almost as many as in all of 2025.

The average price also changes with the mix of homes sold each year, so take it as a trend, not an exact appreciation rate. For appreciation per square foot in Los Cabos golf communities, read How Much Have Homes in Los Cabos Golf Communities Appreciated Since 2019?

✈️ Getting There

  • La Paz (LAP): one nonstop flight from the U.S., Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines. From other cities you connect.
  • Los Cabos (SJD): nonstop flights from about 28 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.
  • Between them: about a 2-hour drive from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas.

If you fly in often from California, Texas or Arizona, this alone can decide it.

🧭 Which One Fits You?

  • La Paz fits if you want a house with more space under $700K, a quieter city life, and you don’t mind connecting flights.
  • Los Cabos fits if you want a condo (prices are almost the same), a luxury home over $1M, private golf communities, more choice and more room to negotiate, and nonstop flights from home.

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❓ FAQ – La Paz vs Los Cabos Real Estate

Is La Paz cheaper than Los Cabos?

For houses, yes: about 33% less per square foot ($198 vs $297) in 2026 MLS sales. For condos, only about 3% less ($346 vs $358).

What is the median home price in La Paz?

$335,000 for homes and condos sold from January to October 2026, vs $440,000 in Los Cabos.

Are there luxury homes in La Paz?

Few. Only 9 homes and condos sold for $1 million or more in La Paz from January to October 2026, vs 173 in Los Cabos.

Can you negotiate more in La Paz or in Los Cabos?

In Los Cabos. Condos in La Paz sold at about 98% of the original list price, vs about 94% in Los Cabos.

Are there direct flights to La Paz from the U.S.?

Yes, but only one: Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines. Los Cabos has nonstop flights from about 28 U.S. cities.

Can Americans buy in La Paz?

Yes. Like Los Cabos, La Paz is near the coast, so foreigners buy through a bank trust (fideicomiso). As MLS members in Baja California Sur, we can help you in both.

🌊 La Paz or Los Cabos?

Not sure yet which neighborhoods fit your budget? Tell us your budget and whether you want a condo or a house. We’ll send you an MLS report with real sales and homes for sale in both.

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How we calculated this: Closed sales of homes and condos in the MLS from January 1 to October 31, 2026. La Paz includes the MLS La Paz area (including El Sargento and La Ventana). Los Cabos includes Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, the Cabo and San José Corridors and the Pacific communities of Quivira, Diamante, Rancho San Lucas and San Cristóbal (not Todos Santos or El Pescadero). Prices and price per square foot are medians; price per square foot uses the interior (air-conditioned) area. “Sold vs original list”, days on market and months of inventory come from MLS market statistics. Year-by-year averages are total sales volume divided by the number of sales; 2026 is January to October. Golf community figures for Los Cabos are from the same period.

Sources: MLS (Flexmls) closed sales and market statistics for La Paz and Los Cabos, 2019 to October 2026; Alaska Airlines, Los Angeles–La Paz route; The Cabo Sun, nonstop flights to Los Cabos (Feb 2026). Information verified November 2026.

Disclaimer: Karla & Erick | Cabo Realty provides educational content about real estate in Baja California Sur. We are MLS members and operate under the brokerage Century 21 Paradise Properties. Past sales do not guarantee future prices. This is not legal or tax advice.

Karla & Erick | Cabo Realty | Century 21 Paradise Properties

Karla and Erick Cabo Realty

Karla and Erick Cabo Realty

Your home in Los Cabos, with people who live here.

Karla Andreu and Erick Flores are MLS members with Century 21 Paradise Properties, focused on luxury golf and oceanfront communities: Querencia, Palmilla, Pedregal, Quivira, Diamante, Cabo del Sol, Cabo Real, Club Campestre and Puerto Los Cabos.

Most of our clients come from California, Texas and Arizona. We help them buy, sell and relocate with real market data, honest advice and one clear plan from the first video call to closing day.

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