Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median home value$1,838,200
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$3,501/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
San Francisco 38%
Foster City
San Mateo County32,792 residents3 school districts
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
13th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by commute & transport.
66
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Foster City 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 Foster City is like to live in, by category
Bars show Foster City against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 69/100
B−
Within-state proficiency86th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.3
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate92%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Housing cost index121
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.62%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.38%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute29.4 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes52%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi7.6
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 62/100
C
Restaurants & cafés36
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks86
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$199,143
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment4.9%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations75%
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 Foster City 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 Foster City on commute & transport
Foster City's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Menlo Park8 mi from Foster CityB+ 64 C+ North Fair Oaks7 mi from Foster CityB+ 63 C+ San Carlos5 mi from Foster CityB 74 B Redwood City4 mi from Foster CityB− 61 C East Palo Alto9 mi from Foster CityB− 54 C− Berkeley21 mi from Foster CityB− 66 C+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Foster City
Is Foster City, CA a good place to live?
Foster City scores 66 out of 100, 13th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Foster City expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $1,838,200, 61% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.62%. $3,501/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Foster City?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Foster City sit at the 86th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 21.3 student–teacher ratio. Foster City is served by San Mateo Union High School District, San Mateo-Foster City and Millbrae Elementary School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Foster City?
The mean commute is 29.4 min, with 52% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 34% working from home. Transit density is 7.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Foster City?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 36 restaurants and cafés and 86 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in Foster City old or new?
The median home in Foster City was built in 1976 — newer 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. 54% 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.