Living in San Mateo, CA
Suburb in California
San Mateo is a suburb in California, home to about 104,000 people, with 3.8 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is San Mateo a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 20 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 73°F
- Easy flying: SFO is 6 mi away
- Highly educated: 58% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 4 research universities are within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $1.81M, and rent is $4,600 a month
- Few dog parks: 16 within 9 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how San Mateo ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in San Mateo: common questions
What is the cost of living in San Mateo?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $1.81M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $4,600 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 110, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in San Mateo?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.62% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is San Mateo safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.7× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in San Mateo?
San Mateo has mild winters: winter days average around 59°F and summer days around 73°F.
Does San Mateo get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.45 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to San Mateo?
The nearest major airport is SFO, about 6 mi away.
How San Mateo scores
Each bar compares San Mateo with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is San Mateo right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.