Washington - DC vs San Francisco - CA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Francisco - CA is roughly 97% more expensive than Washington - DC in typical home value. Washington - DC sees more listings with price cuts (29.4% vs 21.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Washington vs San Francisco: what the numbers say

At today's 7.32% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,132 a month in principal and interest in Washington and $6,157 in San Francisco, a gap of $3,025 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,407 in Washington and $3,445 in San Francisco, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.3 times rent in Washington and 1.8 times rent in San Francisco, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 19.7 years of rent in Washington and 27.1 in San Francisco; the lower ratio in Washington means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +0.7% in Washington and -0.6% in San Francisco; over just the last three months the change was +0.3% in Washington and +1.4% in San Francisco.

Homes sell for 99.7% of list price in Washington and 106.1% in San Francisco, after 19 and 16 days on the market, with price cuts on 29% and 21% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Washington.

The number of homes for sale is up 12% on a year ago in Washington and down 13% on a year ago in San Francisco.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-22), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.