Best PlacesDowntown South San Francisco, South San Francisco, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco ranks 3,025th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 234 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,233 a month, better than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
A household needs to earn about $263,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $90,485, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco's effective rate of 0.37%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco.
Who works in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco, and how
Work in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 15%
Life in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco, month by month
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco sees roughly 234 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 74 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 46. The comfortable stretch runs April through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 53° | 46° |
| April | 68° | 57° | 49° |
| July | 74° | 62° | 56° |
| October | 75° | 62° | 54° |
Flying in and out of Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
San Francisco International sits about 3 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 26.5 million passengers in 2025, with 193 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
Schools across Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco average a C−, better than 25% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Spruce ElementaryD+ · 21% proficient
- Martin ElementaryD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Parkway Heights MiddleD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- South San Francisco HighB− · 44% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco
Is Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco ranks 3,025th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, biking, and a strong job market, and lowest on childcare costs and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,070,218. The overall cost of living runs about 43% above the national average. Set against a $90,485 median income, cost of living beats 27% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco safe?
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco is safer than 42% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $529 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown South San Francisco, South San Francisco detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.