Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median home value$1,032,500
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,506/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households45%
San Francisco 38%
Novato
Marin County52,546 residentsNovato Unified
56
C−
Suburbgrade score
37th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
56
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Novato yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 56 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 Novato is like to live in, by category
Bars show Novato against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 61/100
C
Within-state proficiency72nd pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.0
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate91%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index99
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.79%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Mean commute28.1 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes55%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi5.7
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés52
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks64
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 44/100
D
Median household income$115,736
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment5.9%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations48%
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 Novato 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 Novato on housing & affordability
Novato's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley14 mi from NovatoB 70 B− Mill Valley12 mi from NovatoB− 68 B− Larkspur10 mi from NovatoC− 67 C+ San Anselmo7 mi from NovatoC− 65 C+ Albany18 mi from NovatoD 69 B− El Cerrito18 mi from NovatoD 53 C− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Novato
Is Novato, CA a good place to live?
Novato scores 56 out of 100, 37th 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 Novato expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,032,500, 9% below the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.79%. $2,506/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Novato?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Novato sit at the 72nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 21.0 student–teacher ratio. Novato is served by Novato Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Novato?
The mean commute is 28.1 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 20% working from home. Transit density is 5.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Novato?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 52 restaurants and cafés and 64 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Novato old or new?
The median home in Novato was built in 1975 — 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. 70% 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.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Novato
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