San Rafael, CA housing market
Typical home value
$1.31M
▲ 3.0% 1 yr
Typical rent
$3,166/mo
▲ 4.2% 1 yr
Gross rent yield
2.9%
U.S. 6.3%
5-year home value change
+7%
U.S. +20%
Key takeaways
- 1The typical home in San Rafael is worth $1,313,734, up 3.0% over the past year and up 7% over five years.
- 2Typical rent is $3,166 a month (+4.2% YoY), a gross rent yield of 2.9% (below the San Francisco, CA metro's 3.7%).
- 3With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest on the typical home is about $7,220/mo, $4,054 more than typical rent.
- 4Zillow forecasts the San Francisco, CA metro's home values to change +1.9% over the next 12 months.
Market temperature (San Francisco, CA metro)
Seller's market
Buyer'sNeutralSeller's
Zillow Market Heat Index: 65/100, #13 hottest of 546 metros. Below 44 favors buyers; above 55 favors sellers.
Home values and rent
Source: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI and market activity data).
How San Rafael compares
| Measure | San Rafael | San Francisco, CA metro | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $1,313,734 | $1,120,379 | $366,157 |
| Home value, 1-yr change | +3.0% | +3.1% | +1.2% |
| Typical rent | $3,166 | $3,445 | $1,932 |
| Rent, 1-yr change | +4.2% | +11.8% | +2.7% |
| Gross rent yield | 2.9% | 3.7% | 6.3% |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 34.6 | 27.1 | 15.8 |
| Mortgage P&I, typical home | $7,220 | $6,157 | $2,012 |
Run the numbers
Rental property calculator
Cash flow on a typical San Rafael rental, pre-filled.
Rent vs buy in San Rafael
Which costs less over the years you'll stay.
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment on a $1.31M home.
Landlord in California? See California deposit, late fee and notice rules.
Other cities in the San Francisco, CA metro
San Francisco, CA
$1.44M home$4,784 rent
▲ 15.5% 1 yr
Oakland, CA
$711K home$2,758 rent
▲ 0.6% 1 yr
Fremont, CA
$1.44M home$3,388 rent
▼ 1.5% 1 yr
Hayward, CA
$816K home$2,652 rent
▼ 2.4% 1 yr
Concord, CA
$721K home$2,569 rent
▲ 0.2% 1 yr
Richmond, CA
$601K home$2,538 rent
▼ 1.0% 1 yr
Berkeley, CA
$1.44M home$2,853 rent
▲ 8.0% 1 yr
Antioch, CA
$590K home$2,814 rent
▼ 0.7% 1 yr
City figures are Zillow's typical home value (ZHVI) and observed rent (ZORI). Gross yield is before expenses. Data refreshed Oct 26, 2026.