Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 29/100
F
Median home value$929,900
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$1,979/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
San Francisco 38%
Oakland
Alameda County439,418 residents2 school districts
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
40th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
54
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Oakland yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 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 Oakland is like to live in, by category
Bars show Oakland against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 37/100
F
Within-state proficiency41st pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.0
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate76%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index86
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.91%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax10.75%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute29.8 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes53%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi32
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 97/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés254
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries30
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks102
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 45/100
D
Median household income$101,600
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment6.4%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations53%
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 Oakland 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 Oakland on housing & affordability
Oakland's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda8 mi from OaklandB 65 C+ Alamo13 mi from OaklandB 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley19 mi from OaklandB 70 B− Danville14 mi from OaklandB− 70 B− Lafayette10 mi from OaklandB− 67 C+ San Carlos19 mi from OaklandB− 74 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Oakland
Is Oakland, CA a good place to live?
Oakland scores 54 out of 100, 40th 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 Oakland expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $929,900, 18% below the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.91%. $1,979/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Oakland?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Oakland sit at the 41st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 76% graduation rate and a 20.0 student–teacher ratio. Oakland is served by Oakland Unified and San Leandro Unified School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Oakland?
The mean commute is 29.8 min, with 53% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 32 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Oakland?
Within two miles there are 30 groceries, 254 restaurants and cafés and 102 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Oakland old or new?
The median home in Oakland was built in 1953 — 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. 46% 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.