What it's like to live in San Anselmo
San Anselmo 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. San Anselmo deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, 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
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How San Anselmo compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to San Anselmo
Based on San Anselmo's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$5,594
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $111,880 a year
- 59% of San Anselmo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$315,340
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $157,670
- Homes cost 9.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 98% above US
$2,797/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,797 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 $1,576,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $1,576,700 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Marin County is 4.2%, 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.
Marin County (county-wide)
Safety
119 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
San Anselmo doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Marin 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 544/100k · Policed by Marin County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 16% above US
30 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.2 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 35% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 96% above US
71% 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
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Muir Woods National Monument (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
San Anselmo'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 ($2,797/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (35% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near San Anselmo
All California guides →Moving to San Rafael →
3 mi away · pop. 60,433
Rent $2,377/mo · Income $119,435
Compare with San Anselmo →Moving to Larkspur →
4 mi away · pop. 12,854
Rent $3,001/mo · Income $140,417
Compare with San Anselmo →Moving to Corte Madera →
5 mi away · pop. 10,077
Rent $3,500+/mo · Income $232,763
Compare with San Anselmo →Moving to Mill Valley →
5 mi away · pop. 14,012
Rent $3,278/mo · Income $206,212
Compare with San Anselmo →Not sure San Anselmo is the one?
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