California · West · 33k residents
Foster City, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Foster City: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Foster City is $1,838,200, 160% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $3,501/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 219 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $199,143 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Foster City is $1,838,200, 159.6% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Household income: Median household income is $199,143, 100.6% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Adult education: 73.8% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 127.8% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 9.2 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places Foster City about 13 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days and 0 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 29 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Foster City side by side
Cost of living index
219
ACS median home value
$1,838,200
2-bedroom rent
$3,501/mo
Median household income
$199,143
Housing momentum
How fast Foster City's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
60/100
Steady
Ranks Foster City's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Foster City's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $1,838,200 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $3,280/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,501/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Cost of living index | 219 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $199,143 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 33k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | — |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 81°F |
| January low | 41°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | -0.2% |
| Home price MoM | -0.1% |
| Rent YoY | +6.6% |
| Rent MoM | +0.5% |
| Ocean coast | 13 mi |
| Big lake | 72 mi |
| Mountains | 29 mi |
| Major airport | 8 mi |
| Ski resort | 141 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- San Mateo, CA · 103k
- Redwood City, CA · 82k
- San Francisco, CA · 830k
- Palo Alto, CA · 67k
- Hayward, CA · 159k
Similar size
- La Mirada, CA · 47k
- Brea, CA · 47k
- Los Banos, CA · 48k
- Cerritos, CA · 48k
- North Highlands, CA · 48k
Real listings in Foster City
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Foster City, CA?
- Foster City indexes at 219 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,501/mo and a acs median home value of $1,838,200.
- How much does a house cost in Foster City?
- The acs median home value in Foster City is $1,838,200, 160% above the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Foster City?
- A two-bedroom in Foster City rents for about $3,501/mo.