What it's like to live in Redwood City

Redwood City is a smaller 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. Redwood City deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • High student-teacher ratio

How Redwood City compares

Median household income

Redwood City$157,814
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Redwood City$2,968
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

Redwood City$1,801,700
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Redwood City

Based on Redwood City's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,936

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $118,720 a year
  • 46% of Redwood City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$360,340

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $180,170
  • Homes cost 11.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 110% above US

$2,968/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,968 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 $1,801,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,801,700 · 46% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 12% below US

3.8% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▲ 12% above US

369 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 1467/100k · Redwood City Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

24 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 27% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
55%
Work from home
27%
Carpool
9.5%
Public transit
3.8%
Walk
2.4%
Other
2.2%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°40°50°60°70°80°90°4"Jan: 3.81" precipitationFeb: 3.65" precipitationMar: 3.02" precipitationApr: 1.15" precipitationMay: 0.46" precipitationJun: 0.16" precipitationJul: 0.00" precipitationAug: 0.04" precipitationSep: 0.07" precipitationOct: 0.87" precipitationNov: 1.87" precipitationDec: 3.92" precipitationJJan: high 59°F, low 41°FFFeb: high 62°F, low 43°FMMar: high 65°F, low 45°FAApr: high 69°F, low 47°FMMay: high 73°F, low 50°FJJun: high 79°F, low 54°F81°JJul: high 81°F, low 57°FAAug: high 81°F, low 57°FSSep: high 79°F, low 54°FOOct: high 75°F, low 50°FNNov: high 65°F, low 44°F40°DDec: high 59°F, low 40°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

2 hospitals

There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 51% above US

54% 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

17 public schools inside the boundary

There are 17 public schools inside the boundary and 9 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (23 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Redwood City'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 ($2,968/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (27% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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