San Francisco - CA vs Denver - CO: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 102% more expensive than Denver - CO in typical home value. Homes sit on market longer in Denver - CO (30 days vs 16), suggesting more buyer leverage there. Denver - CO sees more listings with price cuts (36.7% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

San Francisco vs Denver: what the numbers say

At today's 7.40% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $6,206 a month in principal and interest in San Francisco and $3,077 in Denver, a gap of $3,129 a month.

Typical rent runs $3,445 in San Francisco and $1,900 in Denver, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in San Francisco and 1.6 times rent in Denver, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 27.1 years of rent in San Francisco and 24.4 in Denver; the lower ratio in Denver means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -0.6% in San Francisco and -4.8% in Denver; over just the last three months the change was +1.4% in San Francisco and +0.3% in Denver.

Homes sell for 106.1% of list price in San Francisco and 98.9% in Denver, after 16 and 30 days on the market, with price cuts on 21% and 37% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Denver.

The number of homes for sale is down 13% on a year ago in San Francisco and down 1% on a year ago in Denver.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-15), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.