Philadelphia - PA vs San Francisco - CA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 190% more expensive than Philadelphia - PA in typical home value. Philadelphia - PA sees more listings with price cuts (26.3% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Philadelphia vs San Francisco: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $2,105 a month in principal and interest in Philadelphia and $6,108 in San Francisco, a gap of $4,004 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,903 in Philadelphia and $3,445 in San Francisco, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia and 1.8 times rent in San Francisco, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 16.9 years of rent in Philadelphia and 27.1 in San Francisco; the lower ratio in Philadelphia means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +5.4% in Philadelphia and -0.6% in San Francisco; over just the last three months the change was +0.7% in Philadelphia and +1.4% in San Francisco.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Philadelphia and 106.1% in San Francisco, after 15 and 16 days on the market, with price cuts on 26% and 21% of listings. The signs are mixed: Philadelphia has more price cuts and sales further below list, while San Francisco has longer time on the market.

The number of homes for sale is up 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia and down 13% on a year ago in San Francisco.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.