San Francisco - CA vs Kansas City - MO: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 245% more expensive than Kansas City - MO in typical home value. Kansas City - MO sees more listings with price cuts (31.5% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

San Francisco vs Kansas City: 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 $1,800 in Kansas City, a gap of $4,406 a month.

Typical rent runs $3,445 in San Francisco and $1,534 in Kansas City, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in San Francisco and 1.2 times rent in Kansas City, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 27.1 years of rent in San Francisco and 17.6 in Kansas City; the lower ratio in Kansas City means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -0.6% in San Francisco and +6.0% in Kansas City; over just the last three months the change was +1.4% in San Francisco and +1.1% in Kansas City.

Homes sell for 106.1% of list price in San Francisco and 100.1% in Kansas City, after 16 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 21% and 32% of listings. The signs are mixed: San Francisco has longer time on the market, while Kansas City 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 1% on a year ago in Kansas City.

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.