San Leandro, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·San Leandro

Alameda County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 86,571

Shrinking
San Leandro, CA
Image: Wikipedia · San Leandro, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
38
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where San Leandro stands

Home values down 4.1% in the last year. population shrinking 1.2% per year.

Median home $818,638
1-year -4.1%
5-yr CAGR +0.4%
vs 5-yr peak -12.7%
Population -1.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-05$819k$509k$664k$820k$975k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
64/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
37/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

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 · monthly
$2,434/mo$2,001$2,293$2,584202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent102114100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 28.0
Rent

At a 28.0 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in San Leandro 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 →
Home YoY
30 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
37 · w22%
Distance from peak
37 · w18%
Population growth
26 · w16%
Rent YoY
60 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
55 · w10%
Long thesis

San Leandro has held up across the cycle: home values at $818,638 with +0.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

San Leandro is down 4.1% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About San Leandro

San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, with an estimated population of 86,571. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The population has contracted 1.2% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in San Leandro is $818,638 as of 2026-04, down 4.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +0.4% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 13% below its 5-year peak. Rents in San Leandro average $2,434 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.3%). The composite momentum score is 38 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: San Leandro has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 1-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.2% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
●Expensive AND not growing: median home $818,638 with only -4.1% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
●Cooling: -4.1% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●13% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About San Leandro (Wikipedia)

San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the southeast. The population was 91,008 as of the 2020 census.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Mayorcite WebJuan González III
Area15.48 sq mi
Elevation56 ft
EstablishedMarch 21, 1872Cite web
NicknameSLefn
Densityauto/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Alameda County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Alameda County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of San Leandro

13 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Bay-O-Vista$1,253,144-1.7%
2Heron Bay-Marina Vista$1,142,923-1.4%
3Estudiollo Estates$1,069,767-3.9%
4Bonaire$880,066-5.0%
5Broadmoor$859,360-4.8%
6Washington Manor$838,133-4.1%
7Floresta Gardens$830,213-4.3%
8Mulford Gardens$808,138-2.0%
9Halcyon Foothill$789,643-1.6%
10Eastshore$760,306-4.5%
11Marina Faire$707,898-6.3%
12Downtown$694,571-8.1%
13Davis West$688,463-4.8%

Cities like San Leandro

Martinez, CA41 · CoolingVallejo, CA39 · CoolingEureka, CA38 · CoolingPittsburg, CA43 · Cooling

Run the numbers for San Leandro

ToolCan I afford San Leandro?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a San Leandro rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare San Leandro to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolSan Leandro cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
258
~71% of year
Annual precip
22″ rain
8″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very high
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

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

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current San Leandro listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$91,500
California state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechEntertainmentAgriculture

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 San Leandro

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all California cities →    Browse best-of lists →