Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,854/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households26%
San Francisco 38%
San Carlos
San Mateo County29,614 residents2 school districts
74
B
Suburbgrade score
1st of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
74
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for San Carlos yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 74 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 San Carlos is like to live in, by category
Bars show San Carlos against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency95th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.5
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate86%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index106
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.65%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.38%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Mean commute24.6 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes64%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi8.8
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 87/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés137
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks76
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$237,470
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment5.0%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations71%
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 San Carlos 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 San Carlos on housing & affordability
San Carlos's weakest grade is B−.
Nothing within 25 miles beats San Carlos on housing & affordability.
Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in San Carlos
Is San Carlos, CA a good place to live?
San Carlos scores 74 out of 100, 1st 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 San Carlos expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $2,000,000+, 75% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.65%. $2,854/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in San Carlos?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving San Carlos sit at the 95th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 20.5 student–teacher ratio. San Carlos is served by Sequoia Union High and San Carlos Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from San Carlos?
The mean commute is 24.6 min, with 64% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 35% working from home. Transit density is 8.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in San Carlos?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 137 restaurants and cafés and 76 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in San Carlos old or new?
The median home in San Carlos was built in 1962 — 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. 71% 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 San Carlos
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side