Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 43/100
D
Median home value$1,355,600
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,377/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households44%
San Francisco 38%
San Rafael
Marin County60,433 residents3 school districts
58
C
Suburbgrade score
33rd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on cost of living and amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
58
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for San Rafael yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 58 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 Rafael is like to live in, by category
Bars show San Rafael against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 49/100
D+
Within-state proficiency61st pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.8
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate82%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index99
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.81%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Mean commute25.3 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes65%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi7.4
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés82
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks26
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$119,435
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment5.4%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations45%
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 Rafael 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 Rafael on housing & affordability
San Rafael's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda20 mi from San RafaelB 65 C+ Tamalpais-Homestead Valley7 mi from San RafaelB 70 B− Lafayette22 mi from San RafaelB− 67 C+ Mill Valley5 mi from San RafaelB− 68 B− Moraga23 mi from San RafaelC+ 62 C Larkspur3 mi from San RafaelC− 67 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in San Rafael
Is San Rafael, CA a good place to live?
San Rafael scores 58 out of 100, 33rd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is San Rafael expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $1,355,600, 19% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.81%. $2,377/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in San Rafael?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving San Rafael sit at the 61st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 20.8 student–teacher ratio. San Rafael is served by San Rafael City High, San Rafael City Elementary and Miller Creek Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from San Rafael?
The mean commute is 25.3 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 7.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in San Rafael?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 82 restaurants and cafés and 26 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in San Rafael old or new?
The median home in San Rafael 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 San Rafael
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side