Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$1,413,900
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,133/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households44%
San Francisco 38%
Berkeley
Alameda County120,257 residentsBerkeley Unified
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
12th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
66
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Berkeley yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Berkeley is like to live in, by category
Bars show Berkeley against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 74/100
B
Within-state proficiency90th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.2
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate88%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index93
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.80%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax10.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Mean commute27.8 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes60%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi34
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 97/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés428
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries17
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks151
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 47/100
D
Median household income$108,092
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment5.6%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations69%
San Francisco 56%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Berkeley yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Berkeley on housing & affordability
Berkeley's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda7 mi from BerkeleyB 65 C+ Alamo16 mi from BerkeleyB 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley13 mi from BerkeleyB 70 B− Danville18 mi from BerkeleyB− 70 B− Lafayette10 mi from BerkeleyB− 67 C+ Mill Valley14 mi from BerkeleyB− 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Berkeley
Is Berkeley, CA a good place to live?
Berkeley scores 66 out of 100, 12th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Berkeley expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $1,413,900, 24% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.80%. $2,133/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Berkeley?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Berkeley sit at the 90th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 19.2 student–teacher ratio. Berkeley is served by Berkeley Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Berkeley?
The mean commute is 27.8 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 37% working from home. Transit density is 34 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Berkeley?
Within two miles there are 17 groceries, 428 restaurants and cafés and 151 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Berkeley old or new?
The median home in Berkeley was built in 1944 — older than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 44% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.