San Francisco

Best San Francisco suburbs for young professionals

Ranked on employment and income at 25%, amenities at 25%, commute at 20%, median rent at 15% (lower is better) and cost of living at 15%. Schools are not counted.

Updated Sep 2026·59 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
San Carlos Train Station
San Carlos$2.00M+ median · 24.6 min commute
Employment BAmenities A−Commute B
72
Score
overall 74 B
2
Albany seen from Albany Hill
Albany$1.20M median · 30.8 min commute
Employment B−Amenities ACommute C
71
Score
overall 69 B−
3
The City of Berkeley with San Francisco and the bay in the background.
Berkeley$1.41M median · 27.8 min commute
Employment DAmenities A+Commute B−
71
Score
overall 66 C+
4
Lake Merritt viewed from downtown Oakland on a sunny afternoon. The shadows of downtown high-rise buildings cast over lower buildings just to the west of the la
Oakland$930k median · 29.8 min commute
Employment DAmenities A+Commute C
68
Score
overall 54 C−
5
This sign welcomes people to the neighborhood of North Fair Oaks, California. The sign shows, in silhouette, a person holding a child on their shoulders with an
North Fair Oaks$1.28M median · 22.1 min commute
Employment FAmenities A+Commute B+
68
Score
overall 63 C+
6
Photograph made by Michael C. Berch (User:MCB) on 2005-08-07
San Mateo$1.62M median · 26.1 min commute
Employment C+Amenities ACommute B−
67
Score
overall 68 B−
7
City Hall offices and fountains in downtown Pleasant Hill, CA
Pleasant Hill$1.08M median · 30.2 min commute
Employment CAmenities ACommute C
67
Score
overall 60 C
8
A photo of a sign welcoming people to East Palo Alto
East Palo Alto$1.10M median · 23.7 min commute
Employment D+Amenities BCommute B−
65
Score
overall 54 C−
9
The flagpole in downtown Livermore, California has been a community landmark since 1905. The Howard replica clock (c. 1900) on the left was installed in 1995 as
Livermore$1.11M median · 30.1 min commute
Employment B−Amenities ACommute C−
65
Score
overall 63 C+
10
Emeryville, CA
Emeryville$605k median · 28.9 min commute
Employment C−Amenities ACommute C+
65
Score
overall 56 C−
This list's weighting
Employment 25%Amenities 25%Commute 20%Median rent (lower is better) 15%Cost of living 15%
Other 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 suburbsHow we score San Francisco suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: San Carlos (CityofSanCarlos · CC BY-SA 4.0); Albany (Das osmnezz · CC0); Berkeley (pedrik · CC BY 2.0); Oakland (Robert Hsiao · CC BY-SA 4.0); North Fair Oaks (KenShirriff · CC BY-SA 4.0); San Mateo (The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5); Pleasant Hill (Danstone360 · CC BY 3.0); East Palo Alto (Ardenmachro · CC BY-SA 4.0); Livermore (LPS.1 · CC0); Emeryville (Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5).