What to know before you move: cost, market timing, who it fits.
If you're considering a move to Daly City, CA, the most important variables are the local housing market, the cost structure (taxes, insurance, utilities), and how well the city fits your day-to-day life. This page summarizes the housing market read; pair it with the cost of living page for the full picture.
Daly City is a city in San Mateo County, California, with an estimated population of 101,418. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The population has contracted 0.8% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Daly City is $1,134,511 as of 2026-04, down 0.2% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +0.4% annual growth (-9.0% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Daly City average $2,762 per month, up 6.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 48 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
Sideways market (-0.2% YoY). No urgency to time the macro trend — focus on the home and neighborhood.
Reasons people move here
- Hot rental market: rents up 6.8% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.
- The data is the data: Daly City has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.
Things to know first
- Expensive AND not growing: median home $1,134,511 with only -0.2% YoY. You're paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
- Flat or shrinking population: -0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
More about Daly City
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.