Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median home value$1,801,700
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,968/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households37%
San Francisco 38%
Redwood City
San Mateo County82,447 residents3 school districts
61
C
Suburbgrade score
25th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by amenities.
61
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Redwood City yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 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 Redwood City is like to live in, by category
Bars show Redwood City against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 61/100
C
Within-state proficiency76th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.1
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate86%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index111
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.61%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.88%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Mean commute24.3 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes64%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi2.1
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés18
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks17
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$157,814
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment4.1%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations58%
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 Redwood 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 Redwood City on amenities
Redwood City's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Berkeley25 mi from Redwood CityA+ 66 C+ Oakland18 mi from Redwood CityA+ 54 C− North Fair Oaks3 mi from Redwood CityA+ 63 C+ Daly City19 mi from Redwood CityA 60 C San Mateo6 mi from Redwood CityA 68 B− Emeryville23 mi from Redwood CityA 56 C− Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Redwood City
Is Redwood City, CA a good place to live?
Redwood City scores 61 out of 100, 25th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Redwood City expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,801,700, 58% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.61%. $2,968/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Redwood City?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Redwood City sit at the 76th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 20.1 student–teacher ratio. Redwood City is served by Sequoia Union High, Redwood City Elementary and Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Redwood City?
The mean commute is 24.3 min, with 64% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 2.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Redwood City?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 18 restaurants and cafés and 17 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Redwood City old or new?
The median home in Redwood City was built in 1968 — close to 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. 56% 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 Redwood City
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