Pros and Cons of Living in South San Francisco

Although there are more people leaving California and specifically the San Francisco Bay Area than there are people staying in California, many people choose to stay. South San Francisco is a suburb of San Francisco and is located about 20 minutes south of SF and 40+ minutes north of Santa Clara or as most people may know it as Silicon Valley.

Being a suburb of San Francisco, South San Francisco is a great city for several reasons as we’ve laid out in the following video titled The Pros and Cons of Living in South San Francisco.

South San Francisco has a population of over 70,000 people and is located in San Mateo County. South San Francisco condos and townhomes currently range between $500,000 to over $1,000,000 for something newer in neighborhoods like Westborough, South San Francisco, and Terrabay, South San Francisco.

Pros of Living in South San Francisco

• Mediterranean climate and mild weather – never too hot or too cold. On the high side it can get into the 80s and on the low side it can be in the high 40s.
• Convenience and Proximity – quick drives to San Francisco up north and Santa Clara down south
• Affordability relative to the rest of the peninsula
• Progressive on Development and improvements – Active civic projects include a Caltrain station improvement project and a community civic center campus. An active commercial/community project includes a 3rd Safeway shopping center at the southwest corner of the city

Cons of Living in South San Francisco

• Occasionally cold and foggy
• Proximity – Flight path of SFO
• Affordability is relative – still, one of the more expensive cities to live in and buy a home. The median home price is 1.1m as of the end of 2021
• Progressive Development and improvements mean quicker changes to a city that may create vertigo for existing residents who have grown accustomed the how the city once used to be