Marin County Civic Center · Photo: Fizbin at en.wikipedia · Public domainEven on the area’s higher pay, San Rafael costs more to live in than 97% of U.S. towns
It ranks #602 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 3% in a year, 73% above 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
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. San Rafael’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: 32% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 58% of renters.
In dollars
- $1.3Mtypical home, 73% above the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $3,530a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 10.0 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
- 58%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 32%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in San Rafael, in brief
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, San Rafael gained 3,558 residents while 95 new homes were permitted: about 37.5 new residents per new home, against 2.7 across California. New homes ↓
About half of homes sell above asking
In May, 48% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 37% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.6 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 3.2 across California: 105 listings for 67 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, San Rafael had permitted 126 new homes in 2026, more than the 19 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
The least expensive town in its area
All four neighboring towns with a Zillow value cost more than San Rafael. The closest is San Anselmo at $1.7M; Ross tops the list at $4.21M. Vs. neighbors ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind San Rafael’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, San Rafael is more affordable than 3% of U.S. towns, #602 of 846 in California. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have lagged California: the typical San Rafael home is up 7.1% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 7.1% in five years
Slower than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | San Rafael | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $870,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $944,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $978,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $980,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $1,108,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $1,238,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $1,270,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $1,287,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $1,297,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $1,281,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $1,314,000 | $762,000 |
A typical San Rafael home worth $850K in October 2016 is worth about $1.31M today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 10.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to San Rafael’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $769K short of a typical San Rafael home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,530 a month here, $4,120 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 $3,530
Renters already here pay a median of $2,377, 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.
19 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 19 new homes in San Rafael in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $3.9 million to build. That's 0.3 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, San Rafael has permitted 371 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, San Rafael gained 3,558 residents while 95 new homes were permitted: about 37 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 126 | 6 | 120 | $25.6 million |
| 2025 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2024 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $6.6 million |
| 2023 | 76 | 33 | 43 | $18.3 million |
| 2022 | 75 | 62 | 13 | $15.1 million |
| 2021 | 80 | 25 | 55 | $14.8 million |
| 2020 | 30 | 27 | 3 | $4.6 million |
| 2019 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2018 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $7.8 million |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2016 | 38 | 23 | 15 | $17.5 million |
| 2015 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $15.3 million |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $449,000 |
| 2009 | 84 | 2 | 82 | $18.4 million |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2006 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2005 | 94 | 38 | 56 | $16.4 million |
| 2004 | 254 | 85 | 169 | $39.1 million |
| 2003 | 38 | 36 | 2 | $10.3 million |
| 2002 | 17 | 15 | 2 | $4.9 million |
| 2001 | 187 | 5 | 182 | $11.3 million |
| 2000 | 138 | 22 | 116 | $12.7 million |
San Rafael's permit office reported 5 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the California norm
The median bill is $10,000+ (California: $5,124), 0.74%+ of a home’s value 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+”.
San Rafael vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, San Rafael has the lowest. Sleepy Hollow and Lucas Valley-Marinwood and Santa Venetia have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Rafael | D− | $1.3M | $1.4M | 0.74%+ | $3,530 |
| Santa Venetia | D− | — | $1.0M | 0.84% | $3,770 |
| Ross | D− | $4.2M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $4,430 |
| Larkspur | D− | $2.2M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $3,890 |
| San Anselmo | D− | $1.7M | $1.6M | 0.63%+ | $3,640 |
| Kentfield | D | $2.8M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $3,360 |
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | D− | — | $1.4M | 0.69%+ | $4,180 |
| Sleepy Hollow | D− | — | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $3,640 |
“+”: 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 San Rafael
Is San Rafael expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, San Rafael costs more than 97% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #602 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 10.0 years of the median household income of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area ($136K).
How much does a house cost in San Rafael?
About $1.3M, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.0% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in San Rafael?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $328,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $7,650 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $141,000.
How much is rent in San Rafael?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $3,530 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,377 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in San Rafael?
The median bill is $10,000+ a year, 0.74% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in San Rafael going up?
Yes: up 3.0% in the past year and 7.1% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What San Rafael 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.