Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median home value$1,188,800
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,802/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
San Francisco 38%
South San Francisco
San Mateo County64,305 residents3 school districts
57
C−
Suburbgrade score
35th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on employment & income, held back by housing & affordability.
57
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for South San Francisco yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 57 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 South San Francisco is like to live in, by category
Bars show South San Francisco against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Within-state proficiency69th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.0
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate87%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index102
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.59%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.88%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute25.6 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes63%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi6.3
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés39
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks14
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$136,578
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment2.8%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations43%
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 South San Francisco 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 South San Francisco on housing & affordability
South San Francisco's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda19 mi from South San FranciscoB 65 C+ Alamo24 mi from South San FranciscoB 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley18 mi from South San FranciscoB 70 B− Danville25 mi from South San FranciscoB− 70 B− Lafayette21 mi from South San FranciscoB− 67 C+ San Carlos12 mi from South San FranciscoB− 74 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in South San Francisco
Is South San Francisco, CA a good place to live?
South San Francisco scores 57 out of 100, 35th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on employment & income and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is South San Francisco expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $1,188,800, 4% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.59%. $2,802/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in South San Francisco?
Schools grade C. The districts serving South San Francisco sit at the 69th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 19.0 student–teacher ratio. South San Francisco is served by South San Francisco Unified, San Mateo Union High School District and San Bruno Park Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from South San Francisco?
The mean commute is 25.6 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 17% working from home. Transit density is 6.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in South San Francisco?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 39 restaurants and cafés and 14 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in South San Francisco old or new?
The median home in South San Francisco was built in 1965 — 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. 68% 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 South San Francisco
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