Photo: Doc Searls · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Half Moon Bay costs more to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
It ranks #463 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 2.3% in a year, about twice the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area ($136K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Half Moon Bay’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($136K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 31% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 40% of renters.
In dollars
- $1.5Mtypical home, 103% above the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $3,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 11.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$136K, San Francisco-area income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 40%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Half Moon Bay’s housing numbers say
Rent is easier on renters here
40% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 55% across California. A standard two-bedroom is 24% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Renting costs far less than owning
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,170 a month. Owning the typical Half Moon Bay home, with 20% down at the calculator’s rate, runs about $9,010 with tax and insurance: 3 times as much. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Half Moon Bay’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Half Moon Bay is more affordable than 6% of U.S. towns, #463 of 846 in California. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with California: up 13.2% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 13.2% in five years
About the same pace as California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Half Moon Bay | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $1,012,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $1,108,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $1,152,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $1,131,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $1,234,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $1,426,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $1,429,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $1,444,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $1,508,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $1,522,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $1,548,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Half Moon Bay home worth $989K in October 2016 is worth about $1.55M today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 11.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Half Moon Bay’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $1M short of a typical Half Moon Bay home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,170 a month here, $5,840 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, the California typical property tax (0.70% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,170
Renters already here pay a median of $2,433, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
16 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 16 new homes in Half Moon Bay in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $13.4 million to build. That's 1.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Half Moon Bay has permitted 205 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Half Moon Bay gained 471 residents while 457 new homes were permitted: about 1 new resident per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across California: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $13.4 million |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | 6 | $4 million |
| 2022 | 11 | 8 | 3 | $5.7 million |
| 2021 | 8 | 3 | 5 | $3.3 million |
| 2020 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $9.6 million |
| 2019 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $2.7 million |
| 2018 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2017 | 74 | 18 | 56 | $14.6 million |
| 2016 | 50 | 16 | 34 | $10.6 million |
| 2015 | 45 | 17 | 28 | $10.4 million |
| 2014 | 84 | 13 | 71 | $13.8 million |
| 2013 | 72 | 13 | 59 | $12.3 million |
| 2012 | 97 | 12 | 85 | $16 million |
| 2011 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2010 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $1.7 million |
| 2009 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2008 | 17 | 15 | 2 | $3.1 million |
| 2007 | 21 | 19 | 2 | $5.1 million |
| 2006 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2005 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2004 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2003 | 41 | 41 | 0 | $14.8 million |
| 2002 | 121 | 55 | 66 | $25 million |
| 2001 | 61 | 47 | 14 | $14.8 million |
| 2000 | 65 | 38 | 27 | $11.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $10,000+ (California: $5,124), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.65%+ a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Half Moon Bay vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Half Moon Bay has the lowest. El Granada has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay | D | $1.5M | $1.5M | 0.65%+ | $3,170 |
| El Granada | D− | — | $1.4M | 0.58% | $3,180 |
“+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that. “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Half Moon Bay
Is Half Moon Bay expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Half Moon Bay costs more than 94% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #463 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 11.4 years of the median household income of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area ($136K).
How much does a house cost in Half Moon Bay?
About $1.5M, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.3% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Half Moon Bay?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $386,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $9,010 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $127,000.
How much is rent in Half Moon Bay?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $3,170 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,433 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Half Moon Bay?
The median bill is $10,000+ a year, 0.65% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Half Moon Bay going up?
Yes: up 2.3% in the past year and 13.2% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Half Moon Bay buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.