California · West · 33k residents
Foster City, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Foster City: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, 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.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,864/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare Foster City side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,864/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
73.8%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Foster City's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
34/100
Steady
Ranks Foster City's residential building-permit 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. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| 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% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,864/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 73.8% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | — |
| Wage: Software developer | $174,410 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $140,270 |
| Wage: General manager | $124,390 |
| Wage: Customer service | $49,560 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $42,870 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $60,230 |
| Wage: Electrician | $76,160 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $38,440 |
| 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% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | — |
| Building permits YoY | -22.2% |
| 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
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Foster City a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,864/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- 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 (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.