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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



South Lake Tahoe, CA Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q2 2024. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

South Lake Tahoe, CA Housing Market Trends

With 21,175 people, 9,125 houses or apartments, and a median cost of homes of $795,569, real estate costs in South Lake Tahoe are among some of the highest in the nation, although house prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive California communities.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in South Lake Tahoe, accounting for 62.84% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in South Lake Tahoe include large apartment complexes or high rise apartments ( 18.12%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 12.03%), and a few mobile homes or trailers ( 3.42%).

The most prevalent building size and type in South Lake Tahoe are three and four bedroom dwellings, chiefly found in single-family detached homes. The city has a mixture of owners and renters, with 43.37% owning and 56.63% renting.

There is a lot of housing in South Lake Tahoe built from 1970 to 1999 so parts of town may have that "Brady Bunch" look of homes popular in the '70s and early '80s, although some of these houses were built up through the early '90s as well. There is also a lot of housing in South Lake Tahoe built between 1940-1969 ( 42.73%). A lesser amount of the housing stock also hails from between 2000 and later ( 7.53%). There's also some housing in South Lake Tahoe built before 1939 ( 2.16%).

A decent proportion of the South Lake Tahoe housing stock is seasonally occupied. That is, homes and condos in South Lake Tahoe are occupied by people for a portion of the year - mainly for vacation purposes - and then locked up and left unoccupied for the remainder of the year as owners return to their primary residences. This characteristic of the South Lake Tahoe housing market speaks to its popularity as a vacation location of choice.

South Lake Tahoe Home Appreciation Rates

Appreciation rates for homes in South Lake Tahoe have been tracking above average for the last ten years, according to NeighborhoodScout data. The cumulative appreciation rate over the ten years has been 115.39%, which ranks in the top 30% nationwide. This equates to an annual average South Lake Tahoe house appreciation rate of 7.97%.

NeighborhoodScout's data show that during the latest twelve months, South Lake Tahoe's appreciation rate, at 5.80%, has been at or slightly above the national average. In the latest quarter, South Lake Tahoe's appreciation rate has been 0.13%, which annualizes to a rate of 0.52%.

Notably, South Lake Tahoe's appreciation rate in the latest quarter is one of the lowest in America.

Relative to California, our data show that South Lake Tahoe's latest annual appreciation rate is lower than 50% of the other cities and towns in California.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within South Lake Tahoe differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best South Lake Tahoe real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$795,569

South Lake Tahoe, CA Home Prices
> $1,349,000
$1,012,001 - $1,349,000
$675,001 - $1,012,000
$540,001 - $675,000
$405,001 - $540,000
$270,001 - $405,000
$135,001 - $270,000
$67,001 - $135,000
$0 - $67,000
15.1%
15.1%
16.4%
16.4%
24.5%
24.5%
21.8%
21.8%
8.7%
8.7%
6.7%
6.7%
1.8%
1.8%
2.9%
2.9%
2.3%
2.3%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
Average

for California

Very High

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

9,125

South Lake Tahoe Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$1,968 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
43.4%
43.4%
56.6%
56.6%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
43.9%
43.9%
56.1%
56.1%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
7.5%
7.5%
47.6%
47.6%
42.7%
42.7%
2.2%
2.2%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
62.8%
62.8%
3.4%
3.4%
12.0%
12.0%
18.1%
18.1%
3.4%
3.4%
0.2%
0.2%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
5.8%
5.8%
12.1%
12.1%
30.2%
30.2%
38.8%
38.8%
11.0%
11.0%
2.1%
2.1%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes