What it's like to live in Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Half Moon Bay deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Shrinking population
- High student-teacher ratio
How Half Moon Bay compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Half Moon Bay
Based on Half Moon Bay's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,866
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $97,320 a year
- 39% of Half Moon Bay renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$309,900
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $154,950
- Homes cost 9.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 72% above US
$2,433/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,433 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,549,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $1,549,500 · 39% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in San Mateo County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
San Mateo County (county-wide)
Safety
181 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Half Moon Bay doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1075/100k · Policed by San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 13% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 26% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 65°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 46% above US
52% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Presidio of San Francisco (23 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Half Moon Bay's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,433/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (26% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
See all the data for Half Moon Bay →·All California cities →
Other places near Half Moon Bay
All California guides →Moving to Hillsborough →
8 mi away · pop. 11,099
Rent $3,500+/mo · Income $250,000+
Compare with Half Moon Bay →Moving to Belmont →
8 mi away · pop. 27,337
Rent $2,875/mo · Income $205,297
Compare with Half Moon Bay →Moving to Millbrae →
9 mi away · pop. 22,689
Rent $3,272/mo · Income $163,476
Compare with Half Moon Bay →Moving to Burlingame →
9 mi away · pop. 30,525
Rent $2,785/mo · Income $174,000
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