San Francisco - CA vs Detroit - MI: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 324% more expensive than Detroit - MI in typical home value. Detroit - MI sees more listings with price cuts (29.4% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

San Francisco vs Detroit: 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 $1,441 in Detroit, a gap of $4,667 a month.

Typical rent runs $3,445 in San Francisco and $1,514 in Detroit, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in San Francisco and 1.0 times rent in Detroit, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 27.1 years of rent in San Francisco and 14.5 in Detroit; the lower ratio in Detroit means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -0.6% in San Francisco and +5.2% in Detroit; over just the last three months the change was +1.4% in San Francisco and +0.3% in Detroit.

Homes sell for 106.1% of list price in San Francisco and 99.5% in Detroit, after 16 and 15 days on the market, with price cuts on 21% and 29% of listings. The signs are mixed: San Francisco has longer time on the market, while Detroit 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 10% on a year ago in Detroit.

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.