San Francisco - CA vs Columbus - OH: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 243% more expensive than Columbus - OH in typical home value. Columbus - OH sees more listings with price cuts (34.9% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

San Francisco vs Columbus: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $6,108 a month in principal and interest in San Francisco and $1,782 in Columbus, a gap of $4,326 a month.

Typical rent runs $3,445 in San Francisco and $1,525 in Columbus, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in San Francisco and 1.2 times rent in Columbus, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 27.1 years of rent in San Francisco and 17.9 in Columbus; the lower ratio in Columbus means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -0.6% in San Francisco and +2.6% in Columbus; over just the last three months the change was +1.4% in San Francisco and +0.4% in Columbus.

Homes sell for 106.1% of list price in San Francisco and 99.4% in Columbus, after 16 and 14 days on the market, with price cuts on 21% and 35% of listings. The signs are mixed: San Francisco has longer time on the market, while Columbus has more price cuts and sales further below list.

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

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.