San Mateo County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 32,657
Where Foster City stands
Population shrinking 0.9% per year. rents up 6.9% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 40.6 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Foster City for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Foster City has held up across the cycle: home values at $1,908,757 with +2.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Foster City's population is shrinking 0.9% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.
About Foster City
Foster City is a city in San Mateo County, California, with an estimated population of 32,657. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The population has contracted 0.9% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Foster City is $1,908,757 as of 2026-04, down 0.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.8% annual growth (-4.4% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Foster City average $3,922 per month, up 6.9% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 54 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Foster City (Wikipedia)
Foster City is a master-planned city located in San Mateo County, California, United States. Foster City is sometimes considered to be part of Silicon Valley for its local industry and its proximity to Silicon Valley cities. There are many notable companies headquartered in Foster City, such as Gilead Sciences, Zoox, and Replit. Visa and Sledgehammer Games were formerly headquartered in Foster City.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Playbook
Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.
Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.
Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for San Mateo County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. San Mateo County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Foster City
10 tracked · ranked by median home valueCities like Foster City
Run the numbers for Foster City
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Foster City listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- 1347 Marlin Ave, Foster City, CA 94404Realtor.com · 1d ago
- Foster City targeted by ransomware attackKTVU · 2mo ago
- Security Leaders Share Thoughts on Foster City CyberattackSecurity Magazine · 1mo ago
- California city reports ransomware attack as LA transit agency finds ‘unauthorized activity’The Record from Recorded Future News · 2mo ago
- Foster City: City's Phone, Email Services Restored After Cybersecurity Breach Last WeekSFGATE · 1mo ago
- Foster City continues recovery from recent cyberattackSan Mateo Daily Journal · 1mo ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Foster City
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.